The University of Oregon announced May 21 that it would no longer require those on campus to wear their masks outdoors, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status. The change in policy follows updated guidance from the state, according to the statement.
UO urged students who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings when in large crowds, as well as practice social distancing.
The university wrote in its statement that the new policy is based on updated standards from the Oregon Health Authority. On May 17, OHA released guidance stating that Oregonians are now not required to wear masks outdoors with the warning that unvaccinated people should wear their masks in large groups.
Scout Trom, a third-year biology major, said she is wary of UO’s new mask policy. She said that while campus remains relatively empty, she doesn’t know how this will change when people are back on campus in the fall.
Trom is vaccinated and still wears her mask around other people outside.While she knows that she is safe, she said she is nervous about how other people are maintaining safety during the pandemic.
“It’s hard to trust that the people around you are vaccinated and smart,” she said.
Trom said she is aware that she could also simply be nervous of any shifts toward normal operations more than a year into the pandemic.
She said her opinions might change come fall term, when UO classes will be in person again and more students move back onto the campus.
“I worry that we have to trust people around us,” Trom said. “And there are trustworthy people, but there are also people who will do selfish things.”
Trom said she recognizes that it’s hard to regulate all individuals on campus right now and that requiring masks on campus indoors and outdoors was a good way to make sure that people followedCOVID-19 guidelines. Additionally, Trom doesn’t think that UO has the resources to regulate all buildings on campus to make sure that people are vaccinated before they enter the building.
She said she believes that keeping masks mandatory, at least inside campus buildings, is the best way for the university to limit the spread of COVID-19. Trom said she thinks another way to prevent others from getting COVID-19 is for more students to get vaccinated as well as inform themselves as much as possible about vaccines.
In a statement to the Emerald, UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said that working on university regulations is a layered process that requires guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, OHA and Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Authority. With these guidelines, a team within UO’s COVID-19 Incident Management Team reviews potential changes to campus procedure.
“Under that framework, our policy on face coverings has been changed several times in the past month in direct response to changes in the applicable guidance and regulations,” Hubbard wrote.
