Keep Your Masks On EU, The Mandate is Here to Stay until March 19

UPDATED ON: March 8 at 10:09 a.m. to reflect decisions made by the COVID-19 Taskforce surrounding the mandatory mask mandate on campus.

After Governor J.B. Pritzer announced Illinois would drop the state-wide mask mandate on Feb. 28, students were left wondering if Elmhurst University would keep the mandate on campus until March 19. 

COVID-19 cases still are prevalent within the campus community, with a reported 27 positive tests amongst students on Feb. 25, with a total of 211 students having reported testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the new year. 

EU’s COVID-19 task force met on Feb. 14, to discuss whether they were going to keep the mask mandate. On Feb. 23, an email was sent out to the campus community updating the student body. 

“After thoughtful consideration, our current plan is to maintain our current mask policy (i.e., masks required in University-owned and operated facilities) until at least Spring Break, March 18, 2022,” says the email. 

“Please continue to do your part to protect your fellow Bluejays by wearing properly-fitted masks, staying home when you are not feeling well, and washing your hands often.”

The COVID-19 Task Force recommends that you wear non-cloth masks such as KN95, N95, or surgical masks. There are stations in most campus buildings that have masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves for the campus community to utilize. 

If you are looking to get a test on campus, you can get a rapid test every Tuesday from 12 to 3 p.m. in the lobby of R.A. Faganel Hall. For a PCR test, you must make an appointment 24-hours beforehand on Etrieve, and the tests are available every Wednesday from 12 to 3 p.m. in the lobby of R.A. Faganel Hall. 

Whether the mask mandate will stay after March 18 is a decision that will be made at a later date. 

“As we approach that date, the COVID-19 Task Force will be studying the impact of the state-wide mask mandate rollback and will make a recommendation to the President about how the University should proceed after Spring Break. An email with this information will be sent to the campus ahead of March 18,” reads the email.

If you have any COVID-19 questions, you can send an email to covid19questions@elmhurst.edu.