COVID Alert Level Lowered to Green; Masks Optional

Marist College will lower its COVID-19 alert level from yellow to green, ending the school’s mask mandate, effective Feb. 18.

This decision marks the first time Marist students will not be required to wear a mask in the classroom since March 2020.

“This improvement is a direct result of our working together: students, faculty, and staff committing to our three pillars of public health: masking, vaccination including boosters, and symptomatic testing,” said the Office of Executive Affairs the week prior when Marist went from orange to yellow.

The college will discontinue its mandatory surveillance testing program for unvaccinated individuals. However, Marist will continue to provide asymptomatic testing for students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 am to 11 am at 51 Fulton. Students experiencing symptoms will be tested at Health Services.

There will be no restrictions on outdoor events, and indoor events will be able to operate at full capacity with no requirements for masking or food and beverage service. External guests will be asked to attest to a COVID vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of their arrival on campus. Members of the Marist community – students, faculty and staff – will not be required to fill out a health attestation for campus events. Previously when on level yellow, indoor events were held at 70% capacity.

83% of the Marist community has uploaded proof of a COVID booster shot, as the Circle reported. Marist’s COVID dashboard reports nine active cases as of Feb. 18, which is an increase of three in two days but down by 19 in two weeks.

“We encourage a ‘mask friendly’ approach, whereby those who wish to wear a mask respect those who do not, and those who do not wish to wear a mask respect those who do,” said Deb DiCaprio, Vice President for Student Affairs.

This decision comes as New York State continues to see daily new COVID cases drop since the onslaught of the Omicron variant in January. As of Feb. 19., the average daily new cases in the state have dropped 55% over the last two weeks, per the New York Times. In Dutchess County, there has been a 65% drop in the previous 14 days. 32% of residents in New York State have received a booster shot of the COVID vaccine, and 34% of residents in Dutchess County.

Marist reminds members of the community to get a test after experiencing any symptoms of COVID, including cough, headache, shortness of breath, fever, etc. Marist also requires that all in-person students, faculty and staff receive their COVID booster shot within 30 days of gaining eligibility and upload proof to Health Services.