WCU, in an unexpected email, announced that it will no longer require face coverings indoors on Friday, Feb. 25, a day before the first Open House of 2022.
This has brought mixed feelings from faculty and students alike. See student responses below.
Director of WCU Health Services, Pam Buchanan, reiterated the feelings of the student body.
“I think as a society, not just here at WCU, if we can respect one another and our personal choice to wear or not wear a mask, without it becoming an issue of why someone chooses to wear a mask then we can be successful,” Buchanan wrote in an email.
Buchanan also added in her email that spring will bring pollen, and with it, seasonal allergies. Unfortunately, allergy and COVID symptoms are very similar. She made clear that COVID testing will continue for symptomatic patients.
WCU’s decision came days after the Jackson County School Board voted to make masks optional across all public schools in the county and the surrounding area.
Laura Wright, chair of the WCU faculty senate, says she is ‘fine’ with the decision.
“I had indicated to the Provost that I would have preferred that we wait until after Spring Break to remove the mandate, but I also understand the Chancellor’s decision to “rip off the band-aid” and start the adjustment to mask-optional life immediately,” Wright wrote in an email to the WCJ.
Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, and secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley, held a COVID briefing (video) on Feb. 17.
At the briefing, Kinsley presented the newest COVID numbers from around the state. Following the recent uproar in COVID cases during the omicron surge, Kinsley said that cases around the state are beginning to decline.
Also during the update, Gov. Cooper recommended that schools and local governments move from mandatory, to voluntary masking. Cooper also said that some places may still require masks such as health care facilities and public transportation. This stays true for WCU.
University health services, which includes the Bird Building, along with Madison residence hall, WCU’s designated quarantine facility, will still require masks. Cat Trans will also require masks. These requirements were set on the federal level.
The NCDHHS has this written on their website: “North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics are moving in the right direction. If trends continue to improve, NCDHHS recommends schools and local governments consider moving to voluntary masking beginning March 7, 2022.”
This conflicts with the CDCs guidance. According to the CDC’s new tool titled “COVID-19 Community Level”, Jackson County is at a “High” level. The CDC recommends that counties in the “high” level wear masks in indoor public spaces.
The university communications email that was sent out on Feb. 25, detailed a few continuities that will remain in place.
These include faculty, staff and student workers continuing to report their COVID status to their supervisor should they test positive. Also, WCU Health Services continuing to prioritize symptomatic COVID-19 testing, adding “Any faculty, staff or student experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should seek a testing appointment.”
The university communications email also announced that the general surveillance testing under the ‘Get Vaccinated or Get Tested’ program will no longer occur. WCU communications also added that individuals who are not fully vaccinated should wear face coverings in all situations where they are in close proximity to others.
WCU will monitor data and safety protocols and will make adjustments as needed.
