Princeton Uni. Makes Indoor Masks Optional, Reduces COVID Testing

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University on Wednesday announced it was lifting indoor mask mandates at most spaces come March 14, and will reduce COVID-19 testing requirement for fully vaccinated individuals, effective March 7.

This guidance follows recently updated mandates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Starting March 14, masks will be optional in most University spaces, with some exceptions, Provost Deborah Prentice and Executive Vice President Treby Williams said in a memo.

“Given the new guidance from the CDC and the University’s objective to restore a richer in-person experience, we are moving from mandatory masking to optional masking in most situations,” Prentice and Williams said.

“This move will enable individuals to make their own decisions about whether or not to wear a mask while fostering a non-judgmental campus environment in which people’s individual choice to wear a mask or not is honored.”

At this time, masks will be required at McCosh Health Center, and on TigerTransit buses.

Those following isolation or quarantine protocols or who were identified as close contact will be required to wear a mask, Prentice and Williams said.

Beginning March 7, students and staff “who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters” will be required to test monthly instead of weekly, the University said.

"Individuals who are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters (including those with vaccine exceptions or accommodations) must continue to test weekly,” according to the memo.

The University’s asymptomatic testing program will now be used only as a “monitoring tool” to track the profile of the COVID-19 virus and its presence on campus “by testing a portion of all students, faculty, and staff each week.”

Princeton said that its high vaccination and booster rates made it possible for officials to adapt to new strategies.

“These changes to our masking policy and asymptomatic testing program align with the CDC’s criteria to mitigate against severe disease and high demand on area hospitals, as well as the University’s objective to mitigate against significant disruptions to our core operations,” Prentice and Williams said.

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