Purdue Fort Wayne Temporarily Requiring Face Masks in All Campus Buildings

Note to editors: This update was provided to members of the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus community Thursday afternoon.

Throughout the pandemic, the Purdue Fort Wayne campus community has demonstrated its willingness and flexibility to adapt quickly to challenging circumstances. Our collective efforts have helped keep our campus safe and healthy while creating the most conducive environment possible for normal operations.

To continue down this successful path, effective Monday, August 9, Purdue Fort Wayne will be requiring all students, staff, faculty, and visitors—regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status—to wear face masks indoors while on campus.

This temporary change in university protocols will be reevaluated on August 20, just prior to the beginning of fall classes. This is the only significant change to university plans as we prepare to welcome students for the fall 2021 semester.

University leaders, in consultation with the PFW Ready Committee, determined the need for an updated face mask protocol after considering a number of factors, notably the rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts in Indiana and Allen County caused by the Delta variant and the CDC’s new face mask guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. The decision is also driven by the strong recommendation to follow the new guidance from both the Indiana Department of Health and the Allen County Department of Health, as well as the decision by Purdue University, Indiana University, and other colleges and universities around the country to similarly update their face mask protocols.

The university has launched a new website, PFW Ready, that will serve as the hub for the university’s response to COVID-19 going forward. Important information will also continue to be communicated through the university’s newsletter—Inside PFW (for faculty and staff) and Don Life (for students).

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