Recent CDC Guidance Regarding Facial Coverings

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community:

I write to you today about the guidance released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxing requirements for the use of facial coverings and physical distancing by individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

This guidance is a welcome development in our efforts to combat the pandemic. We are studying it and considering its impact on our current campus requirements. We do expect that this new guidance will allow us to relax some of our mitigation protocols over time. However, at this time, CMU will continue to require facial coverings on campus, including during next weekend’s Commencement exercises. We will notify you of any changes to our campus requirements as they are decided.

In the meantime, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. We continue to offer CMU-dedicated opportunities to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. University Health Services will distribute first doses of the Moderna vaccine in Rangos Ballroom next Tuesday, May 18th. This opportunity is open to all CMU students, faculty, staff, affiliates and vendors. To register for a vaccine appointment, please visit our scheduling page. Registration is highly encouraged, and we will endeavor to accommodate walk-ins as dose availability permits.

We thank you for your continued commitment to the mitigation protocols that have served our community so well this year.

Sincerely,

Daryl Weinert
Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
COVID-19 Coordinator