Updates to Ivy League COVID Policies

Introduction

As COVID case counts continue to decline across the country, governments and institutions have begun to relax their COVID policies in the same way that Ernest Hemingway once described bankruptcy: “gradually, and then suddenly.” Starting in mid-February, states and public schools that had reimplemented restrictions in the face of the Omicron wave, or that had never removed them in the first place, began to set end dates to that last vestige of the COVID regime: mask mandates. As an update to our previous look at restrictions among the Ivy League in the Omicron era, The Review has compiled another brief school-by-school summary of recent policy changes and what restrictions still remain in place at each institution, if any.

Harvard

Harvard’s COVID policies, which were in many ways relaxed from 2020 levels despite the Omicron surge, were further loosened in a March 7th announcement titled “Phased Easing of COVID Restrictions.” In the announcement, signed by President Lawrence Bacow, Provost Alan Garber, and other senior officials, Harvard announced a move to optional masking, a shift that effectively ended the school’s mask mandate outside of healthcare facilities and public transport settings. As Harvard students were already taking classes in person during the Omicron wave, Harvard now has essentially no COVID restrictions beyond mandatory testing, though the University does “anticipate updates to testing requirements in the future,” according to Executive Director of University Health Services Giang Nguyen.

Review contacts at Harvard stated that COVID-19 was no longer a significant concern for a majority of the student body, and that student life on campus has not been significantly affected by COVID restrictions since the end of the Omicron wave. These sources stated that they expect the testing requirement to be lifted relatively soon, though they are unsure as to when the last vestiges of the mask mandate will be dropped.

Yale

Yale’s response to COVID-19 has been among the most stringent in the Ivy League, and the institution had previously delayed the start of classes and temporarily reinstituted online classes, arrival quarantine, and grab-and-go dining in response to the Omicron variant. However, in a March 10th message released to all members of the Yale community, Provost Scott Strobel announced that, beginning March 21st, the University would relax its mask mandate. 

Though masks remain required in classrooms, transit settings, and in healthcare facilities, students no longer have to wear masks in areas such as dormitories, dining halls, or campus gyms.

Students interviewed by the Yale Daily News expressed some surprise and hesitancy about the change in masking policy, and there appeared to be mixed feelings among the interviewees as to whether or not it was the right move. However, one student noted that while the rate of voluntary masking was initially high, it has begun to decline as individuals get used to going places without a mask. At the time of publication, masks remain required in classroom settings, and Yale’s booster mandate is still in place.

Princeton

Following the lead of several other universities in the Ivy League, Princeton moved to relax masking guidance in certain circumstances as of March 14th. Under the new guidance, face coverings are required in classes and gatherings where organizers wish to require it, as well as in areas “required by state or local agencies,” such as in transit, healthcare, and athletic training settings. Princeton’s announcement also noted that the campus community “must continue to foster a non-judgemental environment in which people’s individual choice regarding whether or not to wear a mask is honored.” Individuals who have received an exemption from the University’s vaccine and booster requirements, which remain in place, are “strongly encouraged” to wear a mask at all times, but do not appear to be required to do so.

The opinion column of The Daily Princetonian appeared to be in support of the move, with one opinion writer stating that “[i]t was initially difficult to identify why, exactly, the difference between a masked and maskless classroom is so dramatic,” and suggesting that “the removal of masks does imply … the alleviation of wariness—or the pretense of wariness—of contagion, resulting from in-class interactions.”

Columbia

In a rather brief announcement released on March 10th, Columbia administrators stated that, from March 14th, indoor masking at all Columbia University locations would become optional, with the exception of Columbia’s medical facilities and COVID-19 testing centers. Additionally, Columbia took the step of stating in its COVID-19 Resource Guide that “[a]cademic, research, administrative, and social gatherings are allowed with no capacity restrictions.” At this time, the only remaining COVID restrictions (outside of the medical mask mandate) appear to be testing-related. Columbia states that Red Passes “will be applied to all those who are not compliant with the Gateway Testing requirement,” which would prevent anyone not in compliance from accessing any campus buildings. However, this testing requirement appears to be related only to arrival testing and random sampling surveillance testing, meaning that vaccinated students are not required to test on a regular basis. 

Columbia also took the step of downgrading its COVID-19 risk level to the “green zone,” indicating a low risk of COVID transmission on campus, and deferred its booster mandate deadline to May 2022.

Brown

On March 10th, Brown released an announcement signed by Russell Carrey, Executive VP of Planning and Policy, stating that masking would become optional beginning March 14th, with the exception of healthcare and transit facilities as well as classes or meetings where the professor or organizer requires masks. Regular asymptomatic testing also became optional for vaccinated undergraduates, coming in line with the testing policy for vaccinated grad students and faculty. Under the new guidance, unvaccinated students and faculty are still required to wear a mask indoors and test twice a week. Brown also does not, at the time of writing, have any published restrictions on gatherings for vaccinated individuals, meaning that there appear to be no actively enforced COVID restrictions for those in compliance with the booster mandate beyond the limited mask mandate.

UPenn:

Penn’s response to COVID-19 was largely consistent with its peer institutions. In its updated “Public Health Guidance,” released on March 15th, the University announced that it would follow the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and City of Philadelphia. Accordingly, Penn will no longer require testing for fully vaccinated individuals. Those who are unvaccinated or not yet boosted will need to continue with two weekly screening tests. Masking is now optional for the fully vaccinated in all public spaces with the exception of classrooms, healthcare spaces, and Penn Transit. Penn OpenPass, the University’s COVID symptom and exposure log, is still required to be completed daily by all community members. The University fully permits indoor gatherings that keep in line with the Public Health Guidance, and students can resume registering events through Penn University Life.

Cornell

In an attempt to keep up with the rest of the Ivy League, Cornell University announced that, on March 14th, masking would no longer be enforced on campus. Masks will still be required in classrooms, laboratories, and other educational settings. Healthcare facilities and Cornell-owned vehicles will also continue to require masks. In a sign of potential trouble on campus, the administration released a statement on March 23rd announcing the increase in COVID-19 cases on campus “beyond” its predictions, effectively moving Cornell to COVID-19 Alert Level Yellow. At that time, Cornell’s guidance asked students to “take immediate voluntary actions,” including the wearing of KN-95 masks, though it was not mandated. 

As of April 1st, the COVID-19 Alert Level was reduced to Green, indicating that cases had returned to projected levels. However, there are still 260 active cases amongst the student body—equal to about 1.7% of the entire student population. The University has not taken any actions to limit social gatherings, but it still encourages masking and continued vigilance.

Dartmouth

A March 11th email from Provost Dave Kotz and Executive Vice President Rick Mills announced that, beginning March 16th, indoor masking would no longer be broadly required. Exceptions to this rule change include public transport and COVID-19 testing settings as well as areas where contracts with external organizations (such as the Broadway League or NCAA) require masks. Furthermore, the message stated that asymptomatic testing, which has been a hallmark of Dartmouth’s COVID response since 20F, would no longer be required past April 10th. Thus, masking effectively ended at the start of the spring term, and testing was established as a requirement for the first 14 days of the term, after which it will shift to an optional component.

The Review was unaware of any rumors regarding the move to mask- and test-optional policies until they occured, and most students seemed to be similarly surprised at the policy shift. Although adherence to, and enforcement of, the masking and testing requirements had decreased somewhat near the end of the winter term, most students to whom this writer spoke generally did not expect an end to masking until at least partway through the spring term. At the start of this term, the rate of voluntary masking was fairly high, but it seems to have markedly declined in just the first two weeks. Nearly two weeks into the spring term, this writer has worn a mask precisely once since stepping off the Dartmouth Coach. He does not expect to be required, pressured, or expected to wear one again once mandatory asymptomatic testing has ended.

Conclusion

Though The Review’s editorial staff generally expected the Ancient Eight to be some of the last institutions in the nation to eliminate mask mandates, each school has moved fairly quickly to end its masking policy in almost all settings (though vaccine and booster mandates still generally remain in place, and some schools still require masks in the classroom as of the time of publication). Furthermore, barring Cornell’s week-long shift to a higher alert level, the removal of mandatory masking policies has not, at this time, been met with a significant increase in case counts. 

It should be remembered that, if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that the pandemic has a habit of extending itself when society believes it is almost over. However, given the effectiveness of vaccines, boosters, and treatments, the increased transmissibility and decreased severity of newer COVID variants, and (at least at Dartmouth) the sense of unwillingness among both students and policymakers to continue with or reimplement restrictions, it seems as though, after almost exactly two years, COVID policies and regulations may be finally on their way to the ash heap of history.