Interesting article from the Williams Record on COVID impacts in international students home travel considerations this summer:
International students weigh choice between going home, staying on campus – The Williams Record
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My university employer just informed us that everyone (faculty, staff, students) is required to be fully vaccinated this fall (with medical or religious exemption, and you have to apply for a waiver). That’s fine with me. Annoyingly, however, we are also all required to wear masks in classrooms, libraries, and labs whether we are vaccinated or not. I do not understand the point of this. What’s funny (or sad) is that no masks are required indoors in the gym, the student center, or the dining hall! It makes no sense! I am very much hoping that it’s just routine “abundance of caution” posturing by the administration and that by Sept. they will have dropped this requirement. They are also reducing the 6-feet distancing requirement between seats to 3 feet, which will help them schedule more in-person instruction. With the 6-foot requirement, we simply don’t have enough classroom space to run most courses in-person.
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Yes, that does not make too much sense, especially since the dining hall may be one of the higher risk indoor environments for airborne transmission of viruses.
For schools where everyone has an opportunity to get vaccinated before the fall term (i.e. 7th grade and higher), there are basically two choices:
- Require vaccination in order to get to herd immunity to protect the medically vulnerable. If herd immunity in the school community is achieved, then there is not much reason not to “go back to pre-COVID-19 normal”, at least within the school community (though the medically vulnerable will probably want to be extra cautious anyway, as they are in the case of other contagious diseases).
- Don’t require vaccination, letting voluntary vaccine refusers play COVID-19 lottery with themselves without much danger to most others who choose vaccination. But the medically vulnerable then need to take additional precautions for themselves. It does appear that places where this is a common choice (or required by the state government) wanted to “go back to pre-COVID-19 normal” as soon as they can, and they are not too concerned about protecting the medically vulnerable.
Yes, that does seem like overkill. If I had to guess, maybe it’s because those with medical/religious waivers have to go to class, labs, etc but could avoid the other places? I would still think one would just have them wear a mask, but I dunno.
I think this is happening more often now and companies have been told they can legally mandate the vaccine, hence why more and more are.
IU Health I just saw last night on the news is mandating it also. This of course following Houston Methodist mandating it and a judge dismissed the lawsuit by employees yesterday. Hospitals in NY requiring it etc. In Houston I saw that it is a small minority that aren’t willing to be vaccinated, which is ridiculous when you work in that kind of setting. Something like 116 out of 25k employees refuse to get vaccinated.
I agree that some of the guidelines of where masks must be worn and not don’t make sense and I think over time that will change. I know I am still wearing mine in large groups and am not comfortable being in large groups or in close groups, but am getting better about it.
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I think that anyone who chooses to wear a mask in class, etc. should have that choice. I’n not trying to dictate what others feel they need to do. What bothers me is that I am forced to wear a mask when, if what we are told about vaccines is true, I pose no threat to anyone (including myself). Masks impede breathing, speech, and facial recognition. They make it harder to do my job. I am not immunocompromised and I’m not psychologically uncomfortable with being unmasked. I and those in my position should not be forced to wear a mask at work for non-medical reasons. I am taking it up with the union.
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When the new rules about masks came out in early May, schools were included in the required places they’d still be required. I don’t think there was a distinction made between K and grad schools.
Maybe things will change as more and more people get vaccinated.
Today I had my nails painted and had to wear a mask. It’s required in salons.
Masks won’t be required anywhere at Bowdoin or Colgate. College isn’t the same as K-12.
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California relaxed mask rules today.
Still required for all in K-12 schools (but not post secondary education), but that is specifically listed as “may change” as CDC guidance may change. Other places still required for all are public transit, health care, corrections, and shelters.
Unvaccinated people are required to mask in indoor public situations and businesses; businesses can choose honor system, mask or vax verification, or continue requiring masks for all.
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ASU has announce its policy for Fall 2021. Students who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and uploaded their vaccine records to the ASU Health Portal will not be required to wear face coverings on campus or submit daily health checks. While vaccinations aren’t required for students to return to campus, students who don’t provide their vaccine records will be required to wear masks indoors and outdoors on campus, complete COVID-19 tests twice weekly and complete daily health checks. Governor Ducey announced he objects to this new policy, saying “I’ll be issuing an executive order that will ensure this excessive policy is never enforced, and asking the Legislature to codify the order into law.”
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Perhaps the practical consideration regarding college rules on vaccination is that students who are medically vulnerable may want to pay particular attention to both the rules and the general tendency of people to want to get vaccinated at each college and the nearby community. I.e. how likely is each college to have herd immunity?
Has Bowdoin actually said this for fall? I suspect most colleges in well-vaccinated areas with low case counts eventually will default to no masks, perhaps requiring them only in certain situations or if cases spike. But it seems most are not being very definitive right now.
Yes they’ve said things on campus will look like they did prior to Covid. I asked about masks and they said they do not plan on anyone wearing masks but all students and staff are required to be vaccinated.
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Maine at least is one of the states with high vaccination rates. I would be pretty comfortable with sending my kid there, as well as with your other kid in NY.
If I had a kid going to school in Arizona, I would be thrilled right now with that rule from ASU. The state overall is in the bottom half of the vaccination rates for the country and with the Delta variant being real bad and cases popping up in the US (this is the one that went around India recently), it’s going to be horrible in the Southern states that have low vaccination rates and it’s hitting everyone hard, not just older people. If Ducey negates that, he’s an idiot as they’re just trying to protect their students. Putting thousands of people who are unvaccinated together is a big risk especially as those variants come through there in the fall and winter.
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UMD has announced that all staff and students will be required to be vaccinated for the fall semester. They are planning on all classes to be as normal. Masks are not going to be required. Sporting venues, etc will open to 100%. Hopefully it will be an utterly normal college experience.
Maryland is lifting it’s state of emergency on July 1st. K-12 schools will be allowed to resume full, in-person instruction without mask usage. Counties will be given the opportunity to make stricter rules if they so choose. My county announced today that they will not require masks in k-12 schools. It seems that things will be going back to normal as much as possible in the fall.
Maryland’s covid rates have plummeted even after lifting mask mandates for all citizens. We are ranked about #10 on the rate of persons vaccinated. I am glad to see schools taking advantage of these lowered rates of infection.
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Pitt is following the lead of several states and is having a lottery for students who submit vaccination information. Top prize is $2500 so it won’t make you rich but students would certainly appreciate it. The email also said “The University currently does not have plans to require vaccination to be on our campuses.”
I just read today that Michigan is also giving away prizes for those who upload their vaccine information. It’s only mandatory for those living on campus, but less requirements for masks if your vaccine information is uploaded. Those previously who have submitted their info will also be eligible for prizes. Not sure other than gift cards and sports tickets if they’re giving away anything big but it would make it a whole lot easier if they just mandated it for all students. There apparently are a lot of staff who don’t want to come back to teach in person, according to some parents in the FB groups, although no idea what’s really what as far as those guys. Some parents are super negative no matter what it seems and just never happy.
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Any word on whether campuses will be having some sort of introductory quarantine for students as they return to campus (whether vaccines are required or not)?
(Oops, this is not in reply to anything).
That would depend on the campus. Check the policy of the campus in question.
Note that many campuses will have more COVID-19 restrictions for unvaccinated people than for vaccinated people.
Nothing that I have heard, only that if you’re vaccinated you will have more freedoms than those who are not. Michigan just updated some information as it related to housing and relaxed some restrictions if you’re vaccinated, but in certain areas masks will still be required - buses, etc. Some people who want no masks at all are furious, but my kid is ok with wearing a mask. With no mandatory vaccine requirement for all students, and the fact that he can still be carrying it as an asymptomatic carrier to those who are not vaccinated, and how bad the Delta variant is and what other variants may be out there still, better to still be viligent.
My daughter in Israel just a few days ago all masks off. But then again, they have one of the highest overall vaccination rates.
My other college kids, polar opposites as far as how they did with covid, nothing mentioned about any kind of quarantine although one is mandating the vaccine for all students and thru yesterday 98% of faculty (not mandated) are vaccinated, and 92% of undergrads are vaccinated, bulk remaining I assume will be the incoming freshman who have not yet uploaded their cards. My other kid her school had done nothing, and they still have a lot of remote classes on the schedule for the fall. Hers are fortunately all in person, but there is unfortunately an EO saying they can’t require masks, and many faculty don’t want to return if they don’t know if students are vaccinated. Can’t blame them and they have no dash board where students can even upload their vaccines, but if they did and just had it be voluntary, then I think there would be some comfort there as I actually think a lot more are vaccinated than people think. My daughter said her entire sorority class of 80+ are vaccinated except 1. So there is a probably a high rate in general.
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