The emergence of regular wildfire seasons in the Pacific Northwest recently prompted the state of Washington to enact new regulations to protect outdoor workers.
After lifting the outdoor mask mandate last week, WSU officials are now looking to ease restrictions on campus in the future, including possibly suspending mask-wearing entirely. Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, said WSU’s lifting of the mask mandate last week happened concurrently with restrictions changing at the state level. “Any outdoor events.
Although COVID-19 guidelines for sporting events have been set for a while, WSU faculty members say some individuals continue to ignore them. Shawn Ringo, Environmental Health and Safety director, said he has seen a 50-50 split in terms of people following the guidelines. Ringo said even though there is a discrepancy regarding compliance, he has.
WSU faculty members and other select university staff will have the option to ask students to verify their vaccination statuses in the fall, but are not required to do so. “There are really only very specific people who would have the authority to ask for proof of [vaccination],” said Phil Weiler, WSU vice president of marketing.
The policy changes, coupled with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, allow WSU to welcome back all employees safely. The process of returning to physical work locations is expected to begin July 12.