Provost of Rollins College, Susan Singer, addressed the campus and community last week announcing that masks would no longer be required outdoors on Rollins’ property for individuals who have been fully vaccinated. The announcement comes alongside the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent updates, which also relaxed outdoor mask requirements for individuals who have received their COVID-19 vaccines.
On April 27, the CDC released an updated summary of the recent changes, which outlines the new “guiding principles” for fully vaccinated people. In its updates, the CDC also explains that fully vaccinated residents no longer need to quarantine after known exposure, are exempt from routine screen testing, and no longer need to be restricted from work following an exposure (so long as they are asymptomatic). The relaxed mask mandate issued by the CDC, which Rollins plans to adapt, does not include certain outdoor events or venues with large crowds.
The new guidelines are “an encouraging step toward resuming normal activities”, according to Singer. “We will continue to be cautious at next week’s commencement ceremonies,” Singer said. “While these events are outdoors, where transmission is known to be low, and we have planned appropriate spacing for the safety of our graduates and guests, these are still large-scale events. For this reason, masks will still be required for all commencement ceremonies.”