MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota State University will be starting its academic year with students wearing masks indoors, according to new university COVID-19 guidance.
Effective Wednesday, all students, faculty, staff and visitors at SMSU are required to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces. However, if the level of COVID transmission in the community goes down, there’s still a chance that the mask requirement can be lifted, SMSU President Kumara Jayasuriya explained Thursday.
Jayasuriya said SMSU is continuing to monitor COVID-19 transmission rates in Lyon County, and the university linked its masking guidance to data from the Centers for Disease Control. The mask requirement is triggered “if we are in substantial community transmission for over a week, or high transmission for more than two consecutive days,” he said.
“Lyon County county was at high last week and the beginning of this week.”
While the mask requirement is in place, people need to wear masks in indoor public areas. SMSU guidance says face coverings will not be required inside residence hall student rooms, office spaces, or in office or workstation settings where physical distance can be maintained.
If COVID cases decline and Lyon County is in a low or moderate transmission level for 14 consecutive days, the mask requirement may be lifted.
The decision to wait for two weeks of lower community transmission before lifting the mask requirement was made to avoid confusion, Jayasuriya said.
Community transmission rates can fluctuate from day to day, and it wouldn’t be practical for SMSU students or staff to have mask requirements change that often, he said.
Jayasuriya said SMSU will be following new requirements for all on-site Minnesota state employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19, or face regular testing.
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August 13, 2021 at 12:05PM
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SMSU to start academic year with mask mandate - Marshall Independent
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