Update to mask mandate on campus
Published: February 25, 2022
Greenville University will lift the indoor mask requirement on campus Monday, February 28, 2022, in following with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement of a change to statewide mask mandates.
On February 28, masks will not be required on GU’s campus, with some exceptions:
- Masks may be required in certain areas such as classrooms or events, at the discretion of faculty or staff members. Masks are encouraged in highly populated areas or at events.
- Masks will be required in the campus health clinic and at the COVID-19 saliva testing site.
- Certain research labs and settings may still require masks.
According to the press release from Gov. Pritzker’s office, the decision to partially lift the mask mandate was due to statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates declining faster than any other point in the pandemic. The state reaches this point with more than 21 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to Illinois residents. Per the CDC, Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in people who have received at least one shot, with 75.7% of people having received their first dose, as of February 9, 2022.
Students and employees on campus who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to test once per week at the saliva testing center for the duration of the semester.
The saliva testing innovations developed by our partners at the University of Illinois are helping in-person activities continue on campus. The saliva rapid response test involves providing saliva dribble into a tube to submit for testing of COVID-19 and related variants. The Bond County Health Department notifies persons of positive test results and commences contact tracing.
GU will continue monitoring the spread of the virus throughout the semester and will announce any changes as necessary. The University understands that each person’s comfort level with this change varies and supports an individual’s choice to mask according to comfort level.
For more information, contact Community Life at community.life@greenville.edu.
