EIU Media Relations

EIU Response to Updated CDC Guidelines on Indoor Masking (July 27)

Students and Employees –

As part of EIU’s commitment to follow public health guidance and critical COVID-19 policy developments, EIU is sharing the following information and revising our current indoor masking policy.

Coles County is one of several Illinois counties identified today by the CDC and the IDPH as having a substantial rate of community transmission of COVID-19. As such, the CDC has shared interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people, including an update to indoor masking guidelines. The updated CDC and IDPH recommendations are that in Illinois counties of substantial or high transmission, fully vaccinated people should now wear masks in public indoor settings.

As a response to the CDC update, EIU is temporarily revising its institutional masking policy for students, employees, and campus guests. Effective Wednesday, July 28, 2021, all EIU students, employees, and campus guests – even those who are fully vaccinated – will be required to wear masks indoors in all buildings on campus. Exceptions to these revised masking requirements remain in place for students when in their individual Residence Hall or University Apartment rooms, as well as for employees in their private offices.

This update does not change EIU’s outdoor masking or physical distancing policies, including those policies already in place for unvaccinated individuals.

As always, EIU will provide additional updates when more information or further changes to EIU’s COVID guidelines are available. Please continue to check your Panthermail frequently for additional updates and information. In the interim, EIU continues to strongly encourage all students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated if they have not already done so.

Details about EIU’s ongoing COVID response, resources, and public communications is available at https://www.eiu.edu/covid/.

Thank you.

David Glassman
President, Eastern Illinois University