Ohio State issues mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated on campus

Ohio State University on Monday announced an indoor mask mandate that will be in place for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals on campus in the fall.

“Effective immediately, students, faculty, staff and visitors to all Ohio State campuses and medical facilities are required to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status,” Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson said in an email to the campus community.

“Masks continue to be required outdoors for unvaccinated individuals when they cannot maintain physical distancing. Vaccinated people are not required to mask outdoors,” Johnson added.

The updated guidance follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation this month that vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors in areas where the transmission rate for the virus is high. 

The coronavirus vaccine is not required for students to return to campus, but students and faculty have to let the school know their COVID-19 vaccine status. 

Johnson said more than 73 percent of the Ohio State community is fully vaccinated and urged those who were not vaccinated to receive their shot. 

Ohio has 46 percent of its population fully vaccinated, with more than 1.1 million cases reported during the pandemic and more than 20,000 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.