Mercer County-Based College Will Drop Mask Mandate On March 12

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) announced it will “rescind” its mask mandates for students and employees on Saturday, March 12.

“Despite this change, the TCNJ campus will remain “mask-friendly.” Anyone wishing to wear a mask is encouraged to do so,” said the school’s President, Kathryn A. Foster.

This guidance comes following a drop in positive COVID-19 cases in the region. Other Mercer County-based institutions like Princeton and Rider University, have made similar announcements.

Although TCNJ, located in Ewing, will drop mask mandates, individual faculty can choose to require masks in their classrooms, labs and offices, Foster said.

“Any such mask requirement will be clearly communicated. Students and employees should continue to have a mask available for use in spaces where those local rules apply,” Foster said in a statement.

While Princeton and Rider announced it was either scaling back or suspending their testing protocols, TCNJ said it still requires testing.

“We ask all members of our community to be tested on campus upon returning from spring break and before March 28. Employees and students with a vaccine exemption must continue to get tested weekly for the duration of the semester,” Foster said.

If infection rates climb once again, the college will reimpose a mask mandate “for the entire campus or for some portions of it,” Foster said.

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