The following message was sent to all students, faculty and staff by email on Feb. 23.
UPDATE: On March 8, the College announced a new mask-optional policy effective March 14. Please see here for more details about that change.
Dear Members of the Campus Community,
SUNY has updated its spring 2022 COVID-19 guidance today with new language that allows individual campuses to consider lifting their local, indoor mask mandates, while also explicitly providing that campuses may decide to continue those mandates. At SUNY New Paltz, the indoor mask requirement will remain in place for now. Please continue to wear your mask in offices, classrooms and other shared indoor spaces until further notice. COVID-19 remains a presence in our community.
Students, faculty and staff should expect our indoor mask requirement to remain in place through the end of March at the very least, as we continue to monitor pandemic conditions on campus and in Ulster County, and the possibility of a post-spring break increase in cases or other metrics on campus. Depending on those variables, it may be prudent for us to reassess our masking policies in April, two weeks after spring break has passed; we may also decide that leaving current policies in place through the spring semester is the best way to enable all members of our community to enjoy a safe and productive end of the 2021-22 academic year.
The new guidance from SUNY gives campuses flexibility to evaluate pandemic conditions and make a decision on masking to suit the needs of their communities. They are directed to consult with local health departments and assess transmission rates on campus and in the surrounding community before making any changes to existing mask policies.
As always, we will work to communicate clearly and transparently as conditions change and decisions are made.
Sincerely,
Donald P. Christian
President
