On May 17, President Scott Green announced that face masks would be lifted at the University of Idaho in response to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The CDC stated that fully vaccinated people can continue normal activities without wearing face coverings and social distancing if these standards are not required by local regulations.
In his announcement, Green said supervisors at the university are not allowed to inquire about employees’ vaccination statuses. While vaccinated people are no longer recommended to wear masks, unvaccinated people without masks will be impossible to distinguish.
Jodi Walker, UI director of communications, has reaffirmed the university’s compliance with CDC guidelines and collaborations with Public Health – Idaho North Central District. As more people are being encouraged to get vaccinated as they have become available, the university was able to cement the reversal of the mask mandate.
“We strongly encourage all who are not vaccinated to follow CDC guidance and continue wearing face coverings. Those who are already vaccinated may choose to continue wearing face coverings if it makes you more comfortable,” Green stated in the announcement. “We encourage everyone to be vaccinated as we look forward to continuing our in-person instruction and operations.”
According to the CDC, as of June 9, 39.7% of Latah County’s population has been inoculated. Within the state, 33.6% of people are fully vaccinated according to NPR, leaving Idaho in the bottom 10 among other states.
In conjunction with the recent bans on vaccine passports, the lack of mask mandates poses serious health challenges. COVID-19 case numbers have been on the decline since April, but new cases are still appearing on the daily. June 9 saw 138 new cases according to the CDC.
As for the university, there seems to be a residue of fear and skepticism residing in students about the lifted mask mandate.
“I would prefer if it was mask-free for those who are vaccinated, but I know that’s hard to enforce,” senior Jonathan Asker said. “There are a couple of people who aren’t stoked about it.”
Asker reiterates that he does not see vaccination rates going up. He feels safer because he is fully vaccinated, but this consolation remains “a false sense of security.”
The lift of the mask mandate has brought fear and awareness on the surface for people who remain skeptical. The low vaccination rates remain a cause for concern for students; however, the school has officially decided to reopen without masks following official guidelines.
Michella Chowdhury can be reached at [email protected]
Nazif Hossain
Important piece. Excellent writing! Well done