PFW ends face mask requirement on campus

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - As expected amid low COVID-19 transmission in the area, Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) announced that they are no longer requiring face masks anywhere on campus starting next week.

At the end of February, PFW officials said they adopted a mask-optional protocol for many indoor spaces, but still required masks in all instructional spaces including classrooms, labs, and studios. They said if COVID-19 case counts remain low, the face mask requirement will be further relaxed.

Officials confirmed that on Thursday, officially announcing that on March 21, face masks will be optional in all areas of campus. The exceptions are that the Campus Health Clinic and the IU Dental Clinic will continue to require face masks until further notice.

The university said it will also implement several other recommendations made by the PFW Ready Committee:

Discontinue the weekly PFW Ready Q&A Sessions, effective this Friday, March 18
Discontinue the online COVID-19 data dashboard, effective this Friday, March 18
Sunset the PFW Ready Committee following its April 6 meeting
Continue with the COVID-19 point of contact (Jeff Malanson) through at least this summer
Continue to maintain the PFW Ready website through at least this summer