Princeton University Requires Masks in Certain Situations

Princeton University has removed its indoor mask mandate since March 14, 2022; however, a new guidance states that face coverings should still be worn in some cases.

According to the new guidance, which “replaces the Policy on Face Coverings as of March 14, 2022”, the university community should continue wearing masks in situations where is required by state or local agencies, Erudera.com reports.

Moreover, they should continue wearing masks as instructed by Global and Community Health following a COVID-19 positive test result or when an individual is identified as a close contact.

Masks should also be worn when faculty and staff, as the leads of a class, lab, gathering, or meeting, ask participants to wear them.

Princeton stressed that everyone at the university should carry a mask with themselves to wear it at all times if they are in one of the abovementioned situations.

According to an email obtained by The Daily Princetonian, the Writing Program, which offers 55 writing seminar sections and enrolls 12 students has made masks obligatory.

“The Writing Program will continue to require face coverings in all Writing Seminar classes and Writing Center conferences through the end of the semester to maintain a consistently safe environment for our faculty, fellows, and seminar communities,” the email reads.

Additional guidance on face coverings states that the campus community should continue fostering “a non-judgmental environment” where people can make an individual choice about wearing masks.

“People who have approved exemptions and are therefore not up to date on their vaccinations or boosters, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask at all times when indoors and around others to protect their own health and the health of others,” the university states.

Princeton also points out that during meetings, gatherings, or in classrooms, participants are allowed to require face coverings, but it is the instructor who decides to impose the requirement or not.

Vaccination rates at Princeton stand as follows:

• Undergraduate students (99 percent vaccinated)
• Graduate students (98 percent vaccinated)
• Faculty and staff (96 percent vaccinated)

At the same time, 98 percent of undergraduate students, 99 percent of graduates, and 99 percent of faculty and staff have received boosters.

In the week ending on March 11, Princeton registered 34 undergraduate positive cases out of 777 tests performed during the week.

Provost Deborah Prentice and Executive Vice President Treby Williams told the Princeton community on March 2 that the university will reduce testing requirements for fully vaccinated persons from weekly to monthly beginning on March 7. In the email, they announced the lifting of the indoor mask mandate in most university spaces.