As students readjust to in-person campus events and classes, many said they feel comfortable participating on campus because of university COVID-19 guidelines and trust in the community’s adherence to them.
Mara Walters, a third-year in health sciences, said she is more comfortable returning to in-person events and other activities on campus because of the university’s COVID-19 mandates and being vaccinated herself.
“It feels a lot safer, and it feels like masking indoors is reasonable for right now, and I don’t think I’d want them to do anything more than that,” Walters said.
According to the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website, those who are vaccinated are not required to wear masks outdoors, while those unvaccinated are required. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are required to wear masks indoors.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration Monday, nullifying the language in House Bill 244 — which prohibits public schools and universities from requiring students and staff to receive any vaccines not approved beyond emergency use authorization. The bill also prevents any discrimination against unvaccinated individuals, requiring both unvaccinated and vaccinated people to receive the same treatment.
University President Kristina M. Johnson announced in a universitywide email Tuesday all Buckeyes will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Oct.15. They will need to receive the second dose by Nov. 15.
Walters said she is not fearful of contracting the highly transmissible Delta variant because most of the Ohio State community is vaccinated.
“I’m not worried about it, but again, it’s one of those things that I feel like if I wasn’t vaccinated, I might be worried about it,” Walters said.
Johnson said the positivity rate as of Monday was 0.61 percent, and around 73 percent of the Ohio State community is fully vaccinated, with 83.5 percent of students reporting their status to the university.
Leah Amsler, a third-year in medical dietetics, said the current mandates make her feel safe on campus, especially since COVID-19 is better understood.
“I think there’s like so many ranges of how people feel about it, and I feel like this is a good mix of, like, not mandating too much but also, like, allowing some mandates to make everyone feel comfortable,” Amsler said.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said the university is pleased that students feel comfortable with the guidelines the university has used. He said administrators, along with experts in the College of Public Health and Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State, aimed to develop guidelines to make campus feel as normal as possible, while continuing to adhere to federal and state recommendations.
“We’ve tried to set rules that are appropriate, that will keep us safe and healthy, but still allow students to thrive and to make friends and to learn and to grow and to do all of the things that they came to Ohio State to do, so we’re excited that we can do that this year,” Ben Johnson said.
