Columbia to drop indoor mask mandate, eliminate daily attestation

Upper West Side NY

03 March, 2022

4:04 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY ESHA KARAM MARCH 3, 2022 Indoor masking will be optional at Columbia starting March 14, as the University moves into the "green zone" of its COVID-19 monitoring plan. In addition, Columbia affiliates will no longer be required to complete a daily attestation form before accessing campus. Random testing, wastewater testing, and vaccination requirements will continue. In an email to the University community, senior administrators cited a low number of cases on campus and low transmission and hospitalization rates within New York City as reasons for removing the mandates. Overall, positivity rates within the Columbia population have hovered around 1 percent for the past month; in the week of Feb. 21 to 27, 33 students and three faculty members tested positive, with positivity rates of 1.6 percent and 0.48 percent, respectively. The change in policy comes amid campus debate on COVID-19 protocols. While many students have expressed sentiments in favor of indoor masking, others have criticized the mandate for infringing on the student experience. The University's announcement follows state and citywide moves to loosen restrictions. Recent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that masks are no longer necessary in counties at low or medium risk. New York County is currently assessed as low risk. Effective March 2, New York state lifted mask mandates in public schools, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams has discussed lifting the indoor vaccination requirement in bars, restaurants, and theaters by next week. The announcement is yet another part of the University's approach of endemic sustainability. The update comes just days after Columbia ended its voluntary and supplemental testing program on March 1. Staff writer Esha Karam can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator on Twitter @ColumbiaSpec. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.