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As more than 66% of Syracuse University students have been vaccinated, SU’s administration must loosen its current mask-wearing requirements to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidelines.

The CDC released guidelines on April 27 stating the fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask when they’re outside, unless they’re in certain crowded settings. This new guidance reinforces experts’ recommendations to get vaccinated, as it will lead to a sense of normalcy after the unprecedented events of the past year. 

Whether vaccinated students are throwing a football outside, eating lunch with friends or going for a run, they should not be required to wear a mask when outdoors on campus. SU should follow the global leaders in science and medicine, as well as other universities and colleges, in revising its mask mandate.

Cornell University and the SUNY system have both changed their mask mandates after the CDC’s recommendations. Cornell’s updated guidelines allow for vaccinated students who have submitted proof of vaccination to no longer wear a mask in outdoor gatherings of 10 people or fewer. 

SU should follow suit and enact these guidelines as soon as possible. While there are only three weeks remaining in the semester, students should be able to follow CDC guidelines, not out-of-date SU policy. 

Although SU should undoubtedly loosen its restrictions, the university should take precautions to ensure that it can do so safely given that not all students have been fully vaccinated. If students who aren’t vaccinated see vaccinated people outside without masks, they may be enticed to take their masks off, too. This could cause small outbreaks that could lead to shutdowns and limitations on in-person gatherings for classes, dining halls and other in-person activities.

The university must continue to enforce public health guidelines for unvaccinated people, as unvaccinated students would be putting others in the SU community at risk if they do not adhere to these guidelines. If unvaccinated students decide to be selfish, disregarding CDC recommendations and SU’s mandates, they should face consequences. 

While it is true that wearing a mask is not a huge inconvenience, allowing vaccinated students to take off their mask while outdoors without being questioned would instill a sense of normalcy that has grown foreign to many. Doing so would also encourage the few students who have yet to get vaccinated to do so, too. 

The CDC has navigated large institutions such as SU through these uncertain times successfully. Now is not the time to stray from its recommendations.

Nathan Fenningdorf is a sophomore political science major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at nlfennin@syr.edu.

Published on May 4, 2021 at 9:35 pm

Contact Nathan: nlfennin@syr.edu