Bob Jones University will begin a phased approach to de-escalate its on-campus COVID-19 protocols March 2.
This decision comes after BJU’s COVID-19 Task Force, in conjunction with recommendations from the Health and Safety subcommittee, carefully reviewed the data from both symptomatic and asymptomatic testing as well as studies of the campus’s inoculation rate, said BJU president Steve Pettit in an announcement.
The updated protocols include the following:
- Masks will be required to enter all public buildings but may be removed once students are seated.
- Masks will be required to enter academic buildings, but at the professor’s discretion masks may be removed once class begins.
- Masks will be required to enter the Den and dining common but may be removed while seated.
- Masks will be required at all times in the various campus retail establishments such as the Bruins Shop, the University Cleaners and Bellis Copy Center.
The task force also considered guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, state and local government guidelines and data on population health for the greater Greenville community before recommending a de-escalation of COVID-19 protocols.
In addition, the task force will continue to meet several times throughout the week to monitor levels and advise any changes to protocols, and active COVID-19 cases will also be reported Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Since the beginning of February, BJU has experienced a 90% drop in its positivity rate among the campus community. As of March 1, the university has three positive student cases and one positive faculty/staff case.
