Purdue University announced plans Monday to lift a mask mandate in many indoor spaces at the beginning of February.
Face coverings will still be required in classroom and teaching settings. In a message sent Monday, Protect Purdue Health Center’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Esteban Ramirez said the shift will depend on COVID-19 metrics on campus and in the community as the second semester begins.
Vaccination rates will also be considered. Currently, 88% of the school’s campus population has been inoculated against COVID. But Ramirez also emphasized that booster shots could become a necessity, and urged people to schedule appointments at Purdue’s ongoing vaccine clinic.
As of Monday, the school’s seven-day COVID testing positivity rate was at 1.19%. In Tippecanoe County, that number stood at 4.3%.