Dear Editor-in-Chief,

With the new COVID-19 guidelines for masking in California, can DVC continue to require masks indoors?

As of Feb. 16, Californians are no longer required to wear masks indoors in public settings. The state’s COVID guideline website no longer states that masks be required on college campuses, and many districts around the Bay Area are moving in accordance with those new guidelines. DVC, however, still requires masking indoors.

I’ve discussed the policy with many peers, as well as my two in-person professors, and the resounding opinion was that life on campus would be much easier without masking. Many are also confused as to how the administration can require masking in classes, yet many students can sit together, maskless, in the food court while they are eating.

So again, can DVC in good faith still require students to mask in class? If so, why are they holding out so much longer than our neighbors? Vaccinations are already required to attend in-person classes, so it would not be a stretch to relax our masking policies, especially because of the huge boost to morale it would provide for students and faculty.

Mac Williams

Benicia, CA