WILMINGTON — UNCW aims to implement a requirement for masks in all public campus areas this week, as active Covid-19 cases on campus hover near 300.
Related — Deep Dive: What would it take to change UNCW’s mind? [Free]
UNCW Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli announced the move on a Zoom call with faculty last week.
“Once this is done, next week we’re going to be talking to them, all of them, and demanding a little more stuff,” Sartarelli said. “And the stuff that we’re going to be demanding is the wearing of masks everywhere, and even when you’re sitting outside with your friends.”
UNCW already requires masks inside or where social distancing isn’t possible. The additional measure would be stricter, and would cover all public areas.
UNCW has taken other measures as well, including reorganizing all dorm rooms to be single-occupancy; the move caught hundreds of students unprepared, leaving roughly 800 students with just days to decide if they wanted to move to a new dorm room or head home. Moving off-campus was not an option as, on the advice of the county health department, students were required to sign a waiver affirming that if they left campus they would move back in with their parents or guardians.
Gatherings (i.e. parties) off-campus housing has been a serious concern for UNCW, since private apartment complexes fall outside its jurisdiction. UNCW has worked with Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo to try and sway these complexes to enforce regulations against gatherings, but some have voiced privacy concerns.
Related: UNCW hoping Saffo’s clout, exemption to federal privacy laws will help curb outbreaks
The University has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New Hanover County to share information on Covid-19 cases. The MOU allows the county and UNCW to work around federal medical privacy laws so that the county can alert UNCW if it identifies a student with Covid-19 (and vice versa).
Last month, the county approved its own ordinance requiring masks to be worn in all government buildings — although that measure was largely symbolic, as WECT reported, affirming regulations already included in Governor Roy Cooper’s executive orders more than adding additional rules.
