By Marwa Ikhmayes and Matt Hirsch
Mayor Eric Adams recently announced that public school students from kindergarten through 12th grade can finally drop their masks. Last Friday, Mar. 4, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez followed suit by announcing that students, faculty, and staff are no longer required to wear masks on the 25 CUNY campuses throughout New York City.
“In response to revised guidance issued by the CDC last week, we are lifting the temporary mask mandate that has been in place since August 2021 and required all CUNY students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear masks inside University campuses, office buildings, classrooms and other non-enclosed spaces,” said Chancellor Rodríguez in a CUNY-wide email.
The new protocols went into effect this past Monday, Mar. 7. Though the mask mandate is lifted, CUNY’s quarantine guidelines are unchanged. All students, faculty, and staff that are vaccinated, and have received a booster if eligible, are required to wear a mask for ten days after exposure to COVID-19. If they do not develop symptoms, quarantining is not required. However, those who experience symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate themselves for at least five full days. If they have no fever for at least 24 hours, they can stop isolating but should wear a mask for at least five more days.
“Brooklyn College will continue to follow New York State’s and the University’s COVID-19 protocols,” said Brooklyn College Media Relations Manager Richard Pietras in a statement to the Vanguard. “As the Chancellor announced last Friday, masking is now optional inside CUNY buildings. While many people will continue to mask, doing so is no longer mandatory.”
Unlike CUNY, requirements for proof of vaccination at restaurants and entertainment venues, including gyms and theaters, will no longer be in effect. Anyone who enters a CUNY campus must be vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption. Despite the vaccination and mask mandates lifting in NYC, business owners can continue to enforce mask and vaccination requirements. Masks are still required by the federal government while riding on public transportation, such as trains and buses, and in public healthcare settings.
“Because New Yorkers have stepped up, we can confidently remove the statewide mask requirement in our schools,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in an official statement. “This is a huge step forward for our kids and communities and I am grateful to the students, educators, and parents for their dedication to keeping us all safe—we’ve reached this milestone because of your hard work.”
According to the CUNY COVID-19 Safety Tracker, Brooklyn College had two cases of COVID-19 out of 674 tested last week, Feb. 28 through Mar. 6.