COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Everyone who enters Ohio State buildings, including medical facilities, must wear a mask indoors, the university has announced.
The new rule made public Monday follows updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people who are fully vaccinated should resume wearing masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is surging.
President Kristina M. Johnson sent an email with the new guidance to the Ohio State community Monday afternoon, saying it came into effect immediately, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
“Throughout the pandemic, Ohio State has adapted its actions based on new information and expertise from local, state and federal health officials as well as our own medical and public health experts,” Johnson said.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio has risen over the past two weeks from 468 new cases per day on July 18 to almost 1,200 new cases per day on Aug. 1, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Students and others attending the outdoor commencement ceremony at Ohio Stadium on Saturday will not be required to wear masks there, University spokesperson Ben Johnson told the newspaper. Participants in the graduation ceremony at the Schottenstein Center on Sunday will need to wear a mask.
