EMCC to make masking optional
EMCC has made the decision, following MCCS protocol updates, to make mask-wearing inside campus buildings optional for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Mainers have made significant strides in recent months to keep COVID numbers down and reduce the burden on our healthcare facilities thanks in part to vaccinations and readily available testing.
Effective immediately masks will no longer be required inside EMCC buildings.
President Burton had this to say:
“With the MCCS release on masking coming out, we at EMCC have made the decision to allow students, faculty, and staff the option to remove their masks on campus and in our buildings. This change is to be effective immediately.
We believe that in addition to our students being vaccinated and proactive about their health, local and state data supports this decision. The Bangor Wastewater Treatment Plant has been monitoring COVID-19 levels since the beginning of the year and has seen a steady decline in contamination in line with the national trends. The CDC also recommends that regions look at the level of “community burden” as opposed to simply the number of active cases. The US CDC uses a few different measures of “community burden” rather than “community spread” to categorize the potential risk of virus transmission. All of Maine, including Penobscot County, is yellow/medium, which means only high-risk individuals are recommended to mask.
As we work to transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, steps like these that are informed by national, state, and local agencies, are important for us to take in order to regain a sense of normalcy on campus.”