Some NYC Colleges Reinstate Masks Mandates As State Sees Uptick In COVID-19 Cases

Several colleges and universities in New York City have announced the reinstatement of mask mandates as the state witnessed an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Some colleges made the announcement less than a month after first ending mask mandates.

Among the universities that brought back mask mandates in select areas are Pace University, Barnard College, and Columbia University, the New York Post reported. A recent Barnard College student newspaper article noted that mask requirements are back up in libraries, classrooms, dining halls, study spaces, and other indoor facilities where college-sponsored events are being held. Barnard put an end to its indoor mask mandate on March 28.

On the Pace University website, it was stated that while masks are optional in “most places” around campuses, the university “requires that individuals on campus, regardless of vaccination status, wear appropriate face coverings any time they are in any campus building.”

Columbia University, on the other hand, said it will require the wearing of "non-cloth masks" in classrooms, citing “the current situation and in an abundance of caution,” according to school communications read by the New York Post. The university ended its mask mandate on March 14.

The news comes as New York grapples with a surge in new coronavirus cases. Data from disease intelligence nonprofit COVID Act Now indicated that four areas in New York are among the top five metropolitan locations with the highest number of new daily cases.

Recent data from the nonprofit showed that Syracuse has been reporting the highest increase in new COVID-19 cases, with 53.4 new daily infections per 100,000 people in the country. The said metropolitan area also has a current positivity rate of about 12%. Ithaca is the second area with the highest rates of new COVID-19 cases at the moment, with 45.6 new daily cases per 100,000, The Hill reported. Ann Arbor in Michigan is third in the ranks. Utica is in fourth place, while Binghamton follows behind at fifth, which are both metros in New York.

Health experts have noted that the “stealth” Omicron variant BA.2 is driving new coronavirus cases in New York City, WNBC reported. On the other hand, some health professionals believe the current uptick will not match the situation with the “Omicron tsunami” earlier this year as the number of hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 has not been significantly climbing in recent days.