CCC Students Can’t Ditch Their Masks Just Yet
By Matt Ramsey
Staff Writer
Harold Washington College (HWC) students will still be required to wear masks while on campus for the foreseeable future. City Colleges Of Chicago (CCC) schools continue to follow the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) guidelines and recommendations on masks mandates.
After a Florida judge ruled to end a national mask mandate in late April, Illinois officials quickly followed suit by also lifting mask mandates on all public transportation, government buildings, and airports essentially overnight. However, CCC schools and many other higher learning institutions have opted to leave their mandates in place.
“City Colleges requires that all individuals wear a face mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status, when entering and exiting all public common areas,” the CCC website on COVID-19 guidelines states. “The health and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff are our highest priority.”
The website also states that HWC is taking other precautions aside from mask mandates, “all students and staff must show proof they are ‘up to date’ on their COVID-19 vaccinations to be exempt from weekly testing.”
Despite these safety protocols, COVID-19 is still a highly transmissible virus. As of May 1, 2022, HWC has had four positive cases on campus, making the total number of confirmed cases at HWC 91 since March of 2020.
A recent poll of a handful of students and staff at HWC conducted by The Herald’s very own Cameron Butler on various aspects of the pandemic indicated that 61% were still concerned with the state of the pandemic. 89% said they were comfortable with the school's current measures. In addition, “Half of students and staff were divided on whether they plan to wear a mask in places where it’s not required.”
As the spring semester comes to a close, many students and staff are still working remotely. HWC students won't have to worry about abiding by the school's mandates until the fall semester. The mandates and COVID-19 safety guidelines are unlikely to be lifted as HWC, and other CCC schools prepare for large numbers of students to return to in-person learning.
