Dear Faculty and Staff,
On Wednesday, February 9th, New York State Governor Hochul announced that the statewide indoor business mask-or-vaccine requirement will be lifted on February 10th, with the exception of health care settings, pre-K -12 schools, childcare facilities and on public transit. Counties, cities and businesses are free to establish their own mask requirements. You can read the Governor’s full announcement .
To help ensure the safety of our community, Mercy College will continue with its policy requiring masks be worn indoors. The College will continue to monitor positivity rates in the region over the coming weeks and evaluate the College’s mask policy and will communicate any changes as necessary.
Mercy’s mask policy is detailed below:
Face masks must be worn by all students, faculty and staff in the following situations:
- Outdoors: Masks are not required when outdoors regardless of vaccination status.
- Indoor Common Spaces: Masks are required for all individuals indoors when in common spaces such as hallways, bathrooms, elevators, cafeteria lines, bookstores and in libraries, as well as in the fitness center, health office or counseling office.
- Classrooms & Labs: Masks are required by faculty and students in all classrooms, regardless of vaccination status.
- Offices: Masks are not required for those who work in individual offices but are required in shared offices regardless of vaccination status.
- Visitors to offices or cubicles, including students: Masks are required when an individual visits someone’s office or cubicle regardless of vaccination status.
- Meeting rooms: Masks are required during group meetings regardless of vaccination status.
Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to ensure the Mercy community remains safe.
Sincerely,
Annette Piecora, SPHR
Director of Human Resources