Ohio State updated their campus COVID-19 guidelines for vaccinated individuals to match public health guidelines starting Wednesday. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors or social distance on any Ohio State campus starting Wednesday.
The update to the university’s COVID-19 guidelines follows recent changes to the Ohio Department of Health’s public health guidance, according to the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated are still required to wear masks indoors and remain physically distant from others at all times.
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks inside the Wexner Medical Center and on campus buses and shuttles, according to the website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define fully vaccinated individuals as those who are two weeks past their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks past the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Indoor public spaces include classrooms, research labs, offices, campus buildings, recreation centers, dining facilities, residence halls, childcare centers, meeting and event spaces.
The website recommends individuals who are not fully vaccinated to wear masks outdoors.
The university will continue to provide free face masks to students, faculty and staff around campus, including at recreation facilities, most libraries and the Ohio Union information desk, according to the website.
According to the website, students, faculty and staff are subject to accountability measures if they do not comply with university health and safety requirements. These measures “may range from additional training and informal coaching to formal disciplinary action based on existing structures.” More information about accountability measures is available here.
