Masks will officially be required on Ohio State's campus this fall.
The university announced Friday that mask use will be required in all indoor settings, “including, but not limited to, classrooms, common areas, conference rooms, shared office spaces, hallways, buses and shared vehicles on all Ohio State campuses.” Masks will also be required in outdoor settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
All students, faculty and staff will be provided return-to-campus kits in August, before classes resume, that will include one disposable mask, two reusable masks, a thermometer, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.
Ohio State previously announced in June that all students, faculty and staff will be required to submit a daily health assessment, including reporting body temperatures, each day they intend to be on campus this fall.
The university also announced Friday that all university-sponsored events “should be limited to fewer than 100 total individuals and must be approved by the sponsor’s vice president or dean.” That limit, however, will not apply to athletic events. Per Friday's news release, “discussions remain underway about Ohio State athletics events for autumn, and an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.”
Ohio State also announced Friday that incoming university president Kristina Johnson, who was set to start her tenure on Sept. 1, will now start on Aug. 24 to coincide with the start of fall semester classes on Aug. 25. That change comes after former OSU president Michael Drake, who was expected to remain at OSU as president emeritus to assist Johnson in the presidential transition, was named as the new president of the University of California on Tuesday.
