The Seton Hall Community's Reaction to the End of the Mask Mandate

Seton Hall students and faculty expressed mixed feelings about the university’s end of the indoor mask mandate effective on March 1, 2022.

Seton Hall University’s Health Intervention and Communication Team released an update that said the mandate was lifted because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was “amending its masking guidance.”

The update also said the team would still be monitoring “public and university health statistics, along with government guidance.” Members of the Seton Hall community were given the option to stop wearing masks in classrooms, the dining hall, the gym and library.

Lauren-Marie Diawatan, a sophomore philosophy and economics major, felt both a sense of relief about the mandate being lifted but also a sense of worry about the university’s timing.

“I personally think removing the mask mandate is important, but I just don't feel like it's warranted right now,” Diawatan said. “I feel like it should have been gradually progressed out throughout the semester because as we're coming close to spring break, there is obviously a bit more leniency among people on campus and off campus as they go places.”

Diawatan said she agreed the mask mandate was going to have to be lifted eventually. “But I am keeping mine on and I just hope that people stay safe and healthy,” she said.

Cash Kinsey, a sophomore environmental policy and philosophy major, agreed the university might have lifted the mandate too early.

“I like not having to wear a mask, but also it feels strange that they lifted it the week before spring break when everyone's going to go home and potentially get exposed to people and then come back,” Kinsey said.

Kinsey said he wore a mask for most of his classes because of professors’ preferences but was not sure when he would take it off. “I haven't fully decided yet, it depends on how many people I see,” he said.

Daniel Zalacaín, a Spanish professor, said he liked how the university’s update gave professors the option to require masks in class based on their preference.

“I required them in the class this week and probably next week after the break because historically after vacations, there’s a surge,” Zalacaín said. “But if the CDC says it’s not important anymore, there’s no reason. Eventually we have to get rid of this.”

Nicole Lucero-Huerta, a junior graphic design major, said she wanted the university to lift the mandate after spring break.

“People are going out of the country,” Lucero-Huerta said. “I’m gonna hope people are gonna keep that in mind and for the first couple of days back, they wear a mask. I’m gonna wear it either way.”

Thaiba Sherwani, a sophomore biology major, agreed travelling might lead to a possibility of more cases but said she would not rely on others to be proactive in wearing their masks after doing so.

“I don’t trust where people are going and what people are doing, so I’ll be wearing my mask when we come back from spring break,” Sherwani said.

Not all students believed that spring break would lead to an increase in cases. Thomas Johnson, a diplomacy and international relations major, said he felt the break was not relevant to the mask mandate.

“Well, spring break was always going to have a possibility of affecting cases because people are going home,” Johnson said. “They’re going to visit their friends and they're most likely not going to be wearing masks, so lifting the mask mandate on campus may not have as big an effect as some may suspect.”

Evelyn Tilelli, a sophomore diplomacy major, said she felt the end of the mandate was good, but she was worried about another spike.

“It brings up a question of, ‘Will we have to enforce a mask mandate again?’” Tilelli said.

Anais Boyajian, a sophomore diplomacy major, said she believed students would not follow another mask mandate if the university reinstated one.

“I think people would not wear their masks because they've already been told that they don't have to,” Boyajian said. “They would say, ‘Oh I’m vaccinated, I'm fine.’ But even if you're vaccinated, you can still get it.”

Mary Mountcastle, the administrator for the university’s honors program, said she felt the university lifted the mask mandate because “they know everybody’s totally sick of them” but she felt not much changed in regards to COVID-19 transmission.

While she said she felt mixed about the end of the mandate, Mountcastle believed the university’s announcement was mindful of people’s preferences.

“Seton Hall did a good job of communicating the idea that masks are welcome, and that people should have masks with them,” Mountcastle said. “If somebody else feels more comfortable having masks, that can happen.”

According to the CDC’s website, the Essex County community level of COVID-19 is low as of March 10, 2022. Seton Hall’s Health Intervention and Communication Team followed the new CDC guidelines that said people had the choice to wear a mask when community levels were either at low or medium.