COC approves masking through spring
The College of the Canyons board of trustees voted Wednesday to continue a campus-wide requirement to wear masks for the remainder of the spring semester.
The continuation of a resolution that was put in place after classes returned to campuses last year appears to be in line with a number of other college and university institutions in Southern California, including schools such as Cal State University, Northridge.
On March 11, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health revised its mandate on face coverings from being required in all indoor spaces to highly recommended.
“After meeting with campus constituencies and soliciting their input, the District Chancellor, Dr. Dianne Van Hook and president of the board of trustees, Dr. Edel Alonso, are recommending through Resolution No. 2021/22-28, that the board of trustees revise their mandate to continue face coverings in indoor instructional spaces when being used for College of the Canyons courses and other learning environments (excluding athletic team practices and competitions) as well as within student support and student services spaces for the remainder of the spring 2022 semester, effective immediately,” the resolution reads.
The motion was approved unanimously by the board members.
COC, since the summer of last year, has required ongoing vaccinations or testing for all individuals accessing indoor oncampus locations, which will continue through the remainder of the spring 2022 semester.
On the CSUN website, the latest news update from site staff reads similarly to the resolution passed by COC, stating that “while Los Angeles
County Department of Public Health has relaxed its indoor mask requirement, at this time, CSUN plans to maintain indoor mask requirements for all students, faculty and staff, regardless of vaccination status, throughout the spring semester.”
In December, the California State University announced that it would require faculty, staff and students who are accessing university facilities or programs to receive a vaccine booster shot in order to be fully immunized against COVID-19 and in compliance with the university’s vaccination policy.