Should Cleveland State say goodbye to the mask mandate?

Universities across the nation are getting rid of their mask mandates for students, citing lowered COVID cases being reported. While Cuyahoga county’s case numbers have similarly decreased, Cleveland State University has not yet followed suit and voided the mask mandate.

Part of the reason for the university’s reluctance could come from its refusal to impose a vaccine mandate. The university cannot be sure that most of its students are vaccinated, nor can it be sure that most of its students have already contracted COVID, offering herd immunity.

The university lies in an urban district, with a high level of commuters. That being said, it would be more dangerous for CSU to lift its mask mandate than a more rural school, such as Ashland University or Miami University. These schools are also not heavy commuter schools, so the universities could ensure that students were not likely to contract COVID when at home, only to bring it onto campus the next day.

The nature of Cleveland State University makes it difficult to choose to lift the mask mandate. However, that may be more beneficial for students in the long run. According to ABC, “experts say it is too soon to end mask mandates in schools because vaccination rates are not high enough.”