On March 20, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) sent an email through the COVID Updates account to the Meredith community announcing that Meredith will “officially [make] masks optional in most classrooms” starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 21.
The email noted that faculty and staff may still request masks to be worn in classrooms and individual offices. Meredith’s ELT noted that Wake County COVID-19 metrics and data from the CDC classify the level of infection in Wake County as “low.” The expected decision to make masks optional in classrooms was first announced on March 2, when other major COVID-19 policy updates were announced. That announcement noted that making masks optional in classrooms following spring break was contingent upon COVID-19 metrics “continu[ing] to improve.”
Masks are still required “in clinical spaces such as Carroll Hall and athletic training rooms, designated spaces in the Learning Center and childcare facilities.”
The email also announced that there is a limited quantity of free KN-95 masks available in the Campus Store available on a first-come, first-served basis. More information on COVID-19 policies and community standards on campus can be found on the Meredith Staying Strong website.
By Freya Dahlgren, Opinion Editor