Editorial: Mask Mandate Removal

personal safety and vaccinations as the region moves forward with new guidance.

“We’re in a place where we are seeing very little spread and severe disease locally and around the state,” Kruppa said in the statement. “While we’re moving forward with new guidance it’s important to continue to stay vigilant and we are encouraging everyone who is eligible to stay up-to-date on vaccination.”

Stewart Auyash, associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, said he will continue to wear a mask and have his students wear them too. He also said the announcement might have glossed over important reminders about public health.

“They didn’t do enough to remind people that there is still a signifcant number of people who are elderly or below 5 years old or who can’t get vaccinated because of their immune systems,” Auyash said. “And support should have been mentioned for those people who still want to wear masks and have to wear masks.” Swarts confrmed that randomized, optional surveillance testing at the college will continue to be offered to students for now.

Spring break took place from March 12—20, and Auyash said he feels the college could have waited until afterward to drop the mask mandate so students — but especially faculty — could have time to plan for it.

Swarts announced in an email March 12 that any students remaining on campus for the duration of the break would be able to utilize on-campus testing in Emerson on March 18 prior to the beginning of classes. The email also reminded students to complete mandatory COVID-19 tests within 72 hours prior to returning to campus. Additionally, the email announced expanded surveillance testing for the weeks of March 21—25 and March 28—April 1.

Auyash said that this decision has the potential to put a signifcant amount of additional pressure and responsibility on faculty members to make decisions about their students’ health and safety that they may not all be entirely comfortable making.

While Swarts did acknowledge general community nervousness, unrest and concern surrounding the change, he said he did not believe that faculty members would be made to take on any more responsibility than they usually would be expected to.

“Professors have the autonomy to make decisions about what is and what is not allowed in their class as it relates to a variety of things,” Swarts said via email. “Allowing them to make these decisions about masking is no different. If faculty have concerns or questions on how to make these decisions, they should work with their respective dean’s offce.”

News editor Elijah de Castro contributed reporting.

Ash Bailot/The Ithacan

NEWS: COVID-19 Editorial: Removal of mask mandate is a poorly timed move

In the age of a modern pandemic, who gets to survive in America is even more limited than before: The checklist for survival has expanded while the long-term effects of COVID-19 remain the same.

With the new mask advisory for Tompkins County being lifted, Ithaca College will not require all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings in indoor locations and has left it up to the discretion of our professors to administer their own face covering policy per classroom.

This is a messy approach to the overall campus safety, places an unfair burden upon all professors and ignores the immunocompromised individuals in our community. The number of people who are elderly, below 5 years old or who cannot get vaccinated because of their immune systems is still signifcant. While not wearing a mask indoors may feel like a breath of fresh air, at this time, the air is not COVID-free just yet.

The Ithaca College administration has failed by not offering support for those who still want to wear masks or have to wear one. This announcement was a rushed effort that ignores the many concerns that come with an ongoing, deadly virus. Glossing over important reminders about public health is dangerous for everyone in the community.

The college needs to be proactive, clear and responsive when addressing the protocols for returning from spring break. Dropping this new mask mandate in haste does not allow faculty members the time to plan or inform their students of their individual policies methodically, and it adds undo stress to another atypical COVID semester.

The war of pestilence is resilient and unforgiving. As history shows, humans are creators of our own Frankenstein Monsters. We are overzealous with our goals of productivity. This often causes us to forget to proceed with caution, ultimately leading us to our own ruin. We now fnd ourselves existing in the middle of a pandemic and fumbling with new mask mandates and poorly conceived COVID-19 policies.

The Ithaca College community must remain smart and remember that respecting and protecting our peers, professors, staff, the community , as well as ourselves is a full-time job.

The good news is that, while we do not have control over how this pandemic will go, we do have control over our actions. We must continue wearing masks and making this a mandatory task in our checklist of survival.