On Friday, UVA announced that all students, faculty, staff, and contract workers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, will be required to wear a mask when on UVA property. The policy took effect at the beginning of this week, and the school says it’ll re-evaluate in September. The university made this announcement as cases of the delta variant surge across the country.
“This policy will allow us to start the year at full capacity and reduce the likelihood of a spike in cases driven by the delta variant and a coming together of students from many places,” an email from Executive Vice Presidents Liz Magill and J.J. Davis says. “Over the next few weeks we will be monitoring case counts, hospitalizations, and other conditions, with a goal of modifying or lifting this masking policy for fully vaccinated people by Sept. 6.”
Under the new policy, masks are required at all university-owned or leased public spaces like academic or administrative buildings, libraries, labs, dining halls, intramural/recreation facilities, and UVA Health properties. Students are not required to wear masks in dorms, and the policy does not apply to people alone in a closed space like an office.
Additionally, all students, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious reason that prevents it. Those who are unable to be vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly testing and wear a mask once the temporary masking rule expires.
“The university has an obligation to protect its students and workers from COVID-19 beyond this temporary mask mandate,” Student Council President Abel Liu says, pointing to hazard pay,
asymptomatic testing, mental health resources, and readily accessible vaccines as other key initiatives for the school. “UVA is one of the wealthiest universities in the country, and these resources should be readily available for its students and workers.”
Other state universities—including Virginia Tech, VCU, and James Madison—have adopted mask mandates for returning students and faculty. The restrictions align with current recommendations from the CDC, which advise everyone to wear a mask indoors in public regardless of vaccination status.
The reaction to the new policy has largely been positive. “The pandemic isn’t over yet,” says Cheyenne Butler, a rising second-year student. “We still have multiple variants going around, and I think the best way to keep us safe—students and faculty and also the greater Charlottesville community—is to still wear masks.”
Liu agrees. He says that although most of the university community is vaccinated, only 61.6 percent of the adult population is vaccinated in Charlottesville. “With students pouring into UVA from all over the world, we must be mindful of the needs of Charlottesville residents. UVA students are guests in their city.”
Of course, the mandate is a reminder that much of the summer’s progress in combating the virus has slipped away. “I remember the first day when we could come into the office without wearing a mask,” says David Kittlesen, an associate professor of biology. “It was just joyful.”
After two and a half semesters and two summer sessions on Zoom, Kittlesen is excited for a return to in-person instruction. Last week he checked out the room where he is slated to teach first-year biology to over 400 students in the fall. “I pictured everybody there, no masks, and me without a mask,” he says. That’s not to be, at least at first. “With freedom comes responsibilities,” the professor says, “and this is a responsibility that we have now that seems reasonable to me.”
