Mask-wearing will no longer be mandated in SUNY Jamestown Community College’s buildings and classrooms starting Wednesday, college President Daniel DeMarte announced.
The change comes after Governor Kathy Hochul lifted the statewide mandate for masks in public schools and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention shared its new guidelines for masking. JCC’s service areas of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties have been categorized as locations of low-to-moderate COVID-19 transmission by the CDC.
Students, employees, and visitors who wish to continue masking may do so. Masks will continue to be available at the entrances of campus buildings, and employees and students with underlying health conditions or concerns are welcome to contact JCC’s Health Services for additional information.
“Revised guidelines will continue to be formulated as a result of our daily review of local health department consultations and COVID-19 case data in JCC’s service area,” DeMarte said. “The administration, our health centers, and buildings and grounds teams remain vigilant in continuing to protect our students, employees, and communities to their utmost ability.”
JCC is still required to report COVD-19 information to SUNY, and thus will continue to conduct surveillance and track the care of ill students and employees. While students and employees must continue to complete a daily COVID-19 questionnaire, visitors are no longer required to do so.
All plexiglass barriers will remain intact on JCC campuses to protect students, employees, and visitors from airborne illnesses beyond COVID, such as colds, influenza, and pneumonia during peak season of these illnesses.
Vaccination requirements for students haven’t changed. Per SUNY guidelines, students participating in on-campus classes and activities must have received the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Weekly pool testing remains mandatory for unvaccinated employees and students with medical or religious exemptions. Pool testing also remains open to anyone who wishes to test.
Additionally, students and employees may obtain free at-home COVID-19 tests by visiting their campus health center.
For more information, contact JCC’s Health Services at 716.338.1013