08/05/2021

Ohio University Leadership Shares Updated COVID-19 Protocols for Fall

Effective August 5, all visitors, staff and employees must wear masks

In just under three weeks, Ohio University will begin face-to-face classes on all campuses as we return to a more normal learning environment. Even as we are excited about having more students back on all our campuses, we have been closely watching the recent shift in COVID-19 transmission rates here in Ohio and across the country. As you have likely seen in reports from national health experts, recent data indicates that breakthrough infections, though rare, can occur in vaccinated individuals and that even vaccinated individuals may be able to spread the Delta variant.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our public health decisions have been based on developing science, local epidemiology, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ohio Department of Health, and our local health departments. Consistent with several peer institutions in the state of Ohio, we are updating our mask protocols to protect the health of all Bobcats and to reflect updated guidance from the CDC.

Effective tomorrow, students, faculty, staff, and visitors to all OHIO campuses are required to wear masks indoors in public/shared spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Masks also are required when entering, exiting, or standing in line to enter an indoor campus facility and are recommended outdoors for unvaccinated individuals who cannot maintain physical distance. There may be some cases where the University will require masking of everyone outdoors, regardless of vaccination status.

Please select this link to read the complete press release from Ohio University.