Masking at the Nutter Center | Photo by Kelsie Tomlinson | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University’s (WSU) indoor mask policy extends to affiliated sporting and educational events at the Nutter Center as confirmed COVID-19 cases are on the rise.
Mask mandate
Regardless of vaccination status, WSU continues the mask mandate for all students, faculty, staff and visitors in all indoor areas on campus. This mandate applies while attending sporting and educational events at the Nutter Center.
“If you are at a Wright State Athletics event inside the Nutter Center or are there for class or any other reason other than an external event, then […] campus safety protocols are in place and you should expect to need to wear a mask indoors,” Seth Bauguess, WSU’s director of communications, said.
Events not affiliated with WSU
However, these campus safety protocols are not extended to non-affiliated events hosted through the Nutter Center.
“[…] if you are [at the Nutter Center] for an external event like a concert or a show that is serving the broader community, the safety protocols for that event are determined by the artist and event promoter and may differ from the university’s […],” according to Bauguess.
The Nutter Center arena can host up to 11,200 individuals at one time and is currently open for external event booking.
Student opinion
Full-time undergraduate student, Madeline Kreuger, understood the mask policy to be in place during sporting events but shared that not everyone follows this rule.
“Some people would just lower their masks as soon as they reached their seats,” Kreuger said.
Kreuger said that she is still willing to attend games at this time.
Current COVID climate
Rolling into 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed over 20,000 new COVID cases in the state of Ohio as of Jan. 12.
“Last week the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported so far in the pandemic and we know for certain that this is an underestimate of cases because reported numbers do not reflect the backlog of testing around the holidays, the number of positive self-tests not registered and burdened surveillance systems that miss cases around the world.” World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated during the WHO’s Jan. 6, 2022 press conference.
The CDC suggests all individuals self-quarantine following potential exposure to COVID.
