Saint Mary’s extends masking requirement to Feb. 14, offers booster update

The College extended the current indoor masking requirement through Feb. 14, according to a COVID Response Team email sent Friday afternoon.

Students and staff will be required to continue wearing masks indoors except in private residence hall rooms or private offices.

The original masking policy announced Jan. 5 was to remain in place until the end of January. Citing a high number of on-campus COVID-19 cases and local numbers not being “where we can confidently relax our protocols,” the College decided to extend the requirement.

“We are hopeful that last week’s high number of positive cases was the peak of our surge, and that trend will drop as predicted,” COVID Response Team chair Gloria Roldán Jenkins wrote. “Until we know, please remember to exercise good judgment.”

The email reminded community members that Saint Mary’s is offering free KN95 masks and disposable surgical masks from the Indiana Department of Health. The masks are available for students, faculty and staff on a first come, first-served basis.

Free masks can be found in the front desks of residence halls; in the Athletics Office and Health and Counseling Center in the Angela Athletic Center; in the Academic Advising and Student Affairs offices of Le Mans Hall; at the front desk of the library; in Campus Ministry, Equity and Inclusion, Office of the Common Good and Student Involvement offices in the student center; in the graduate programs office of the Welcome Center; and in Spes Unica in Career Crossings.

The email also mentioned the majority of community members eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster have provided documentation for it. It encouraged students who have not provided documentation to do so through Medicat and employees to do so through an online form.

The deadline for booster compliance for students was Jan. 21. According to the email, students who want to avoid a Student Code of Conduct violation must let the College know immediately of their vaccination status. The deadline for employees to upload booster documentation is Feb. 7.