By Alex Bahena
Face masks are now strongly recommended in classrooms again after a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the Champaign-Urbana area.
This semester, for the first time in a few years the university would not require face masks and people to take COVID tests to attend their classroom. Most of the restrictions that had been placed in the last few semesters have been uplifted for the upcoming year.
The University also had a high vaccination percentage, according to the Shield Test Data, 92 percent of the university is fully vaccinated. Additionally, unvaccinated people in the university would have to still remain taking COVID-19 tests.
While the university introduced the semester, with people having the option to wear masks or not, a new mass mail is asking for students to wear them again. There has been a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the last few days with everyone coming back to campus. According to the Shield Test. Out of the reported 4,815 COVID tests taken, 1015 have returned positive in the last seven days.
On August 28th Chancellor Robert J. Jones sent out a mass mail to the university mentioning the recent rise in COVID cases, He stated “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given Champaign County a COVID-19 Community Level of “High,” indicating increased COVID-19 spread in our area.”
To slow down the recent rise in cases, it is recommended that students begin to wear face masks once again. Additionally, it is asked that if anyone is beginning to feel sick or feeling any symptoms it is recommended they stay home and quarantine.
Jones mentions that the reported cases have been pretty mild or asymptomatic in his mass mail to the university. People can also begin to see a new round of boosters as early as September according to Jones
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