JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville University is the only local college or university mandating masks for all people while indoors. This applies to buildings on campus and any site operated by the University.
The mask requirement applies to those vaccinated or unvaccinated, and people will have to wear a mask at all times while inside buildings.
The University of North Florida expects masks inside but stopped short of requiring them. Flagler College is suggesting masks indoors.
“With the semester starting, I’m super excited," Haley D'Alessandro said.
Haley D'Alessandro is hitting the books. She's preparing to get her master's degree and pursue a career in kinesiology.
“It’s definitely going to be somewhere in the health and fitness realm," D'Alessandro said.
In the meantime, she's gearing up to start her last year at JU.
“With masks being required, I do feel safe on this campus," D'Alessandro said. "However, if I weren’t in that position, I would still always wear my mask. Some of the things I do to stay safe is I wear a mask indoors always. I wash my hands. I keep hand sanitizer on me at all times.”
“We have a steering committee for COVID-19 made up of faculty and staff and experts on campus. Given the surge of cases in the Jacksonville area, we elected to require masks indoors for the first 30 days," Kristie Gover said.
Senior Vice President and Dean of students Kristie Gover said the university will decide whether to continue the indoor mask mandate 30 days after the start of the fall semester on September 15.
“Certainly, our mask mandate for the first 30 days shines hope into what we hope will look like that after 30 days we’ll be able to lift this mask mandate," Gover said.
“I feel super confident in JU and their mask policy. I think they have our best interest," D'Alessandro said. "They want us to stay to stay healthy and safe.”
All faculty and staff are also required to get their COVID-19 vaccine.