Rowan, Penn State plan to relax mask mandates while other universities hold off

Two universities, one in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania, have announced they will move away from indoor face mask mandates to differing degrees on Monday.

Citing falling coronavirus case counts and updated federal health guidance, Rowan University said masks would become optional on all its campuses except in health-care settings or when someone has been exposed to the virus or feels ill. The change is for all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, though unvaccinated students still must undergo weekly testing, the school said.

At Penn State, the restrictions won’t be quite as relaxed. The university will still require masks in classrooms, labs, and other academic spaces “due to high-density congregation,” the school said. But masks will no longer be required in many common indoor settings on campuses where case counts are low. Masks, however, will continue to be required in those spaces at the Schuylkill campus and the College of Medicine.

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“We have determined that we have reached a point where we can allow each individual to choose to wear a mask and no longer mandate that they be worn indoors, except in our academic and creative spaces,” said Eric J. Barron, Penn State president.

Penn State also will continue to require weekly testing for the unvaccinated.

Other colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, Temple, and Drexel, said they do not yet plan to alter their masking guidance.

“Indoor mask-wearing will continue on Drexel’s campus through the end of finals week, Saturday March 19, while Drexel assesses its own community needs and risks,” said Niki Gianakaris, a school spokesperson.

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Penn said it was assessing new guidance from the city, which earlier this week dropped its indoor mask mandate. The city said the mandate would end for K-12 schools on Wednesday, with a one-week mandatory masking required after spring break, scheduled for April 18-22. A week ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued relaxed masking guidance, that include high-, medium- and low-risk levels by county and that recommends masks only for the high-risk ones.

Temple University noted that many students had been traveling this week for spring break and therefore “out of an abundance of caution,” Temple will still require masks inside buildings when students return next week.

“We will continue to monitor both case counts and positivity rates following our return to campus, and then will reevaluate mask requirements,” Mark Denys, senior director of health services, said in a campus message Thursday.