Six colleges in the greater Buffalo-Niagara area have relaxed their mask requirements following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision Sunday to lift the statewide K-12 mask mandate and delegate mask decisions to university officials.
UB wasn’t one of them.
“Because New Yorkers have stepped up, we can confidently remove the statewide mask requirement in our [K-12] schools,” Hochul said.
UB announced Monday that its mask mandate will remain in place for the time being, and that a decision to relax its mask requirement would be made in collaboration with SUNY and Erie County leaders.
“University leaders are in discussions internally about lifting indoor mask mandates on our campuses,” UB spokesperson Kate McKenna said in an email to The Spectrum. “More information will be provided to the UB community this week.”
Buffalo State, Niagara County Community College, Hilbert College, Houghton College, Daemen and Canisius have all recently lifted their mask mandate.
Canisius will still require unvaccinated people to wear a mask at all indoor and outdoor on-campus events. Daemen will continue to require masks in classrooms and high-density areas such as hallways and the entrances and exits of classrooms.
D’Youville University and Erie County Community College will keep their respective mask mandates in place.
Medaille did not respond in time for publication.
Dan Eastman is the assistant managing editor and can be reached at danielson.eastman@ubspectrum.com
Dan Eastman is the assistant managing editor at The Spectrum. He is a senior geography major who loves Starbucks iced americano. When he isn’t writing and editing he is trying to find the best donut and cookie shops in Buffalo. He can be found on Twitter @TheEastMan2000.
