As vaccination rates increase, CSUDH has begun to ease mask guidelines on campus.
By Nisvan Guzman, Staff Reporter
This month marked two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and the world went into lockdown. Wearing masks in public has become as ubiquitous as carrying backpacks on a school campus. But as cases decline, the county is beginning to ease its guidelines. In the beginning of March of this year, CSU Dominguez Hills lifted the outdoor face covering mandate on the campus that had been in effect since the return to campus in February, wearing a mask outdoors is now optional.
“I’m glad we no longer need to wear masks outside, I love being able to breathe fresh air”, said Marilyn Valenzuela, a undergraduate junior at CSUDH.
Face coverings are still required indoors but that mandate might soon be dropped as other Southern California colleges stop requiring them.
“There are already states with no masks in school. We can’t be masked forever,” Valenzuela said.
Not everybody is ready to remove their face coverings.
Professor of Science John Menary said the school should wait until the upcoming fall semester to drop all restrictions and thinks students are hesitant to take off their masks. “I still see students wearing their masks outdoors”, Menary said.
In a social media survey posted by the Bulletin on its Instagram, 80 out of 117 (68%) students said they were not ready to take off their face coverings while indoors.
So far, the transition from online to on campus has been smooth, but there are still students being infected. In March, there were 10 confirmed cases on campus.
“I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent comfortable with [lifting the indoor mandate] yet. To me, masks are the new normal. Being in a room with 20 people [without a mask] makes me uncomfortable,” said Evelyn Salazar, a graduate student in the psychology department.
The weekly average per 100k cases in LA County when students returned to campus in February was 28.5. Today, it is down to 5.2 in the most recent complete report, according to data from the CA Department of Health,
Positive cases are still higher when compared to this time one year ago when the seven-day average was 4.3, according to the CA Department of Health.
But one reason why there is less concern this time around is most people are vaccinated against the disease.
“We have enough information to know that the vaccines are working,” says Salazar. “Even [vaccinated] people testing positive today are not experiencing the same [negative] effects as before.”
According to the CDC, vaccines are proven to be effective at preventing severe illness caused by the virus and reducing the spread of the illness.
At CSUDH, 92 percent of students and 94 percent of employees are fully vaccinated against the disease. This is due in part to the school’s requirement.
Restrictions outside of schools have begun to ease with regulations. Beginning April 1, California will no longer require proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test, or masks at large indoor events, according to the CA Department of Public Health.
“Maybe next semester I’ll feel more comfortable without a mask, but this is a good baby step,” Salazar said.
The gradual easing of restrictions is a sign that we are returning back to a pre-pandemic status.
For news and updates on COVID-19 guidelines please visit the CDC website.
