Student wearing mask at computer | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
Effective August 5, all Wright State University (WSU) students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a face mask when inside campus buildings regardless of vaccination status.
WSU President Sue Edwards announced the news in a campus-wide email Wednesday afternoon.
Masks are not mandated outdoors when a six-foot distance can be maintained.
The new mask policy is based on recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local authorities.
"It reflects the spread of the highly contagious Delta Variant, which has become the most common form of the coronavirus in Ohio and in the United States," according to the announcement
The email also cites rising coronavirus cases in the counties surrounding the campus and the fact that the delta variant can be transmitted by fully vaccinated individuals as other reasons to reinstate the mask mandate.
"Masking adds another layer of protection for employees, students, and visitors," according to the announcement.
The email strongly encourages students, staff and faculty to get vaccinated and to take these precautions:
- Stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
- Stay six feet apart from others who don't live with you.
- Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren't available.
The university continues to update WSU coronavirus information and case numbers on its website.
As of August 2, the university recorded two asymptomatic coronavirus cases on the Dayton Campus.
WSU is one of several universities in Ohio to revisit masking policies approaching the fall semester. The University of Dayton reinstated its indoor mask mandate on August 2. Several other public universities such as The Ohio State University quickly followed.
WSU's email announcement did not mention how long the indoor mask mandate would last.
