Beginning today, Monday, August 2, face coverings will again be required indoors at all Ivy Tech Community College campuses statewide, regardless of vaccination status. This facial covering policy will not result in any changes to course modalities or course schedules and should not impact activities and normal operations as the Fall semester begins.
This change in Ivy Tech policy is a result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated masking guidance issued earlier this week. The College has consistently followed CDC guidance throughout the pandemic to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and communities.
The number of individuals getting infected with the COVID-19 virus is on the rise again, and as a result the CDC has recommended that all individuals, vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear face coverings indoors in areas of the country where infection rates are at a substantial or high transmission levels. Almost two-thirds of our campus locations are currently in either in high or substantially high areas of infections.
Vaccinations have been shown to be a strong defense against COVID-19 and its current and emerging variants. Ivy Tech strongly encourages students, employees, and guests to obtain a vaccination as soon as possible. Efforts are underway to again offer vaccinations on our campuses. More information on this initiative will be forthcoming.
We will continue to monitor the situation with Covid-19 and take all of the necessary steps to ensure the well-being of our students, faculty and staff. More information on Ivy Tech’s COVID-19 policies can be found here.