Updates to masking at JMU

Dear JMU Community,

Thank you for all you’ve done over the past two years to help keep our community safe. It hasn’t been easy and we recognize the sacrifices everyone has made. We continue to monitor the circumstances around the pandemic, and while COVID-19 has not gone away, we are encouraged that cases are on the decline.

Based upon the current situation, with fewer new daily cases and JMU’s high vaccination rate, we are optimistic that we will soon be able to start lifting the mask requirement in many areas of campus, possibly on or around the beginning of March. As of now we anticipate that we will take a phased approach to changing mask requirements, beginning with residence halls, dining halls and most non-academic buildings. The next phase will expand to classrooms. Some areas such as the University Health Center will continue to require masks due to the nature of their business, or because of other special circumstances. Of course, as we’ve learned time and again during the pandemic, we will need to continue to monitor the public health situation and remain nimble and adaptable to meet evolving needs.

We recognize that some of you will want to continue wearing a mask in certain circumstances and locations, and you are encouraged to do so. We will also continue to provide on-campus COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff. 

We will send more information about the timing and details of masking changes as soon as we have additional details, but we wanted to provide you with some advance notice so that you can begin to prepare. Until that time, please continue to wear masks as required.

We appreciate everyone’s commitment to the health and safety of our community.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Alger, President
Heather Coltman, Provost
Donna Harper, VP Access and Enrollment
Nick Langridge, VP Advancement
Tim Miller, VP Student Affairs
Towana Moore, Interim VP Administration and Finance