Bridgewater State University News Release

For Immediate Release

Bridgewater State University to roll out new mask mandate policy

(Bridgewater, Mass. - March 21, 2022) – Bridgewater State University (BSU) will be rolling out with
their new mask policy on March 21, 2022. The university, in accordance with recommendations by the
Center for Disease Control (CDC), will require students, staff and faculty to wear masks in all
classrooms, the Maxwell Library, the Wellness Center, and on BSU transit. For individuals that are fully
vaccinated and boosted, masks will be optional in all other spaces on campus. Individuals who are not
vaccinated will be required to wear masks in all indoor spaces as well as undergo weekly PCR testing.

The university surveyed students, faculty, and staff to determine their support for lifting the mask
mandate enacted in September 2021. The majority of faculty have come out and said that they would be
uncomfortable if the mask mandate was lifted in the classroom. As a result of this survey, masks will be
required in all classrooms.

Bridgewater State’s main priority is the safety of every individual on this campus. In the development
process of this mandate, Bridgewater State has considered the fact that many organizations and
governmental agencies have already lifted their mask mandates and that the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts has lifted its mask mandate. Additionally, several surrounding towns and private
businesses near the university have been without private mask mandates for the past few months.

With all of this in mind, the high vaccination rate among students and faculty, as well as their important
input on the mask mandate, Bridgewater State will be rolling out this brand-new hybrid policy. BSU
President, Fred Clark, attributes the policy change “in large part to our campus community’s compliance
to BSU’s COVID mitigation strategies”. Over 95% of students and 92% of faculty and staff are fully
vaccinated. Because of this, Clark stated that “we are safely able to shift to a mask-optional policy –
with several important exceptions – effective March 21, a week after the return from Spring Break”.

BSU will continue to evaluate this policy as new information about the COVID-19 pandemic is made
available by the CDC and the state. More updates and statistics will come out in later weeks regarding
the future of this policy and new policies to come. For more information on the policy, feel free to
contact the Wellness Center at 508-531-1252.

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For more information, contact:

Thomas Scalese
Bridgewater State University
131 Summer Street
Bridgewater, MA 02324
(978) 257-3482
T1scalese@student.bridgew.edu