March 4, 2022 | NEWS | By Evan Arvizu
The COVID-19 restrictions at Colorado College are changing. This week, the school has gone back to first semester protocols surrounding testing, now only screening a third of the student population each week. As of Tuesday, March 1, masks are optional in indoor spaces.
These changes come at an interesting time, as cases have started to spike on campus again. Many community members have questioned whether it’s too soon to get rid of a mask requirement, especially in the face of an outbreak.
The new policies represent a big shift from the restrictions put in place for J Block, half Block, and Block 5. COVID-19 precautions were tightened for students’ return to campus second semester because of the outbreak of the Omicron variant, which took the world by storm around Thanksgiving.
Originally identified in Botswana and South Africa, the BA.1 Omicron variant has more than 60 genetic mutations that make it different from any other past variants. While milder in severity, Omicron is much more easily transmittable, which has contributed to its rapid spread across the U.S.
A second Omicron variant, BA.2, was discovered in late December and has also been slowly making its way around the country. Since the first case identified in Colorado around late January, case numbers have been increasing across the state.
This subvariant is 30% more transmissible than BA.1 and has the potential to re-infect people who have recently had other variants, according to a recent study by the World Health Organization. It was not predicted to cause another spike but rather prolong the Omicron wave that peaked in mid-January.
In order to allow for in person activities to continue in the face of these variant threats, stricter restrictions were put in place within the CC community. In-person dining was suspended, KN95 masks were mandated in all indoor spaces, proof of vaccination was required to attend events, and students were encouraged to remain in pods of five people to limit exposure and spread.
With the number of cases in Colorado, El Paso County, and at CC slowly decreasing, COVID-19 restrictions have been gradually loosening. Last week, CC reported 26 total positive cases, down from 70 the week before.
Andrea Bruder, CC’s Chief Public Health Advisor to the President and head of the Scientific Advisory Group that oversees COVID-19 policies, shed some light on how they have been approaching potential policy changes.
“Now that we’re seeing the tail end of the Omicron wave, this is a transition period, moving from a higher risk environment to a lower risk environment.” Bruder said. “We’re returning to our pre-Omicron screening testing protocols where we’re asking a percentage of vaccinated students to participate in screening testing weekly, and we’re also working towards a mask optional policy.”
Since that interview, both of the policies have gone into effect. The change in testing started Monday, Feb. 28 and the mask optional policy started Tuesday, March 1.
However, in the face of these changes, many students expressed their doubts.
“The changes seem sudden and premature,” Kelli Miller ’25 said. “Is there a plan for the possibility of a spike in cases after decreased restrictions?”
These concerns have merit. CC has experienced a sharp increase in cases the past few days. Before the mask-optional policy went into effect, the positive test results from Monday, Feb. 28, alone reached 49. The total for the week of February 23, 2022 through March 1, 2022 was 98. This unexpected new surge will likely provide challenges as the school navigates changing protocols.
“[The rule change] just seems to have come at a bad time where most people I know are exposed in some way. I think this makes people more hesitant to switch over [to mask optional],” Miller said. “My professor has requested that we continue to wear masks in class, which I have been grateful for in the face of this new outbreak.”
CC has thought about the possibility of a spike and is prepared to respond.
“One of the things that the Scientific Advisory Group has done all along is tried to monitor the situation and be adaptive.” Professor Marion Hourdequin, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group, said. “If it were the case that things started trending in the wrong direction after the loosening of restrictions, our group would definitely discuss that with the COVID-19 Policy Implementation Committee and CC leadership to figure out whether additional adjustments will be helpful.”
CC’s restrictions will likely continue to change in the face of the evolving COVID-19 situation on campus.
Update: On Thursday, March 3, the CC Covid-19 Policy & Implementation Committee sent out an email acknowledging current case numbers and instructing all students to participate in testing.