NIU announces new mask guidelines
A mask is taped to NIU’s Olive Goyle statue next to Altgeld Hall. NIU has made changes to mask guidelines on campus, following Pritzker’s plan to lift mandates.
Editor’s note: This record has been updated to accurately reflect the mask guidance changes made by NIU in a Feb. 26 email sent to faculty and students.
NIU has announced new mask guidelines, following Governor Pritzker’s plan to lift mask mandates starting Feb. 28. This comes after a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Illinois.
Pritzker has indicated that individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks while in K-12 schools, in healthcare settings and on public transportation.
Masks will only be required in health clinics, testing locations and public transportation. Masks are also required in the Northwestern Medicine Student Health Center and NIU Child and Family Development Center. Faculty can require students to wear masks on a course-by-course basis.
NIU encourages students, faculty and staff to continue to wear their masks outside of the previously mentioned locations if they’d like to do so.
Students are expected to wear their masks depending on the requests individuals have expressed in personal work or living spaces. The primary investigator will determine if masks are required for research purposes.
Wearing a mask is still required if you have tested positive, been exposed or are experiencing symptoms. For more information and updates visit the Protecting the Pack website.
NIU said in a statement, “Huskies should practice grace and not make assumptions, question, judge or discriminate against others regarding wearing masks or vaccination status.”
