Rutgers is loosening its COVID policies starting Oct. 1.
The state university will no longer mandate face coverings in indoor teaching spaces and libraries. Students and school personnel still have the option to wear a mask if they desire. Masks will continue to be required in all clinical settings.
In a letter dated Sept. 26, Antonio M. Calcado, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Rutgers, wrote that “As the pandemic remains fluid, the university is prepared to revisit this change in protocol should future public health conditions warrant.”
Waiver Change
All students and employees remain required to be fully vaccinated, obtain a booster when eligible, and upload records to the university vaccine portal. For those individuals with medical or religious waivers must continue to test; however, once-weekly testing with self-administered rapid (antigen) tests is now required instead of twice-weekly PCR testing.
The letter noted two other changes: both indoor and outdoor events will no longer require attendees to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test and the university will no longer offer COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters on campus, as these are readily available at pharmacies, clinics, and physician offices.
COVID-19 cases:
New daily PCR cases: 1,906; Probable Cases: 783
Total Cases: 2,733,220 (2,319.029 PCR cases, 414,191 probable cases)
New Confirmed Deaths: 9 (5 probable deaths, 34,725 total deaths)
Rate of Transmission: 1.13, up from 1.11 the day before
Percent Positivity: 10.5% as of Sept. 22; by region, the rate was 10.5% in the North, 10.9% in the Central region and 10.0% in the South
By County:
Bergen County: 213 New Cases, 81 Probable Cases, 3,226 deaths, 336 probable deaths
Essex County: 148 New Cases, 51 Probable Cases, 3,361 deaths, 312 probable deaths
Hudson County: 143 New Cases, 34 Probable Cases, 2,565 total deaths, 221 probable deaths
Morris County: 75 New Cases, 68 Probable Cases, 1,312 deaths, 306 probable deaths
Passaic County: 82 New Cases, 36 Probable Cases, 2,189 deaths, 205 probable deaths
Sussex County: 18 New Cases, 12 Probable Case, 408 deaths, 97 probable deaths
Warren County: 23 New Cases, 4 Probable Case, 325 deaths, 29 probable deaths
Hospitals
Hospitalizations: 942 (377 North; 295 Central; and 270 South)
Patients in intensive care units: 94
Patients on ventilators: 36
Patients discharged: 102
The state dashboard showed all 71 hospitals in the state reporting
Long-term Care Facilities
Facilities currently reporting one case: 362 (3,197 overall)
Current number of residents: 7,422 (57,642 overall)
Current number of staffers: 6,972 (46,042 overall)
Number of Deaths: 9,709 overall (8,786 reported by facilities, 139 staff deaths)
Vaccine
Total number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in New Jersey: 14,783,053 (14,264,280 in-state, plus an additional 518,773 administered out-of-state)
Fully Vaccinated: 7,060,795 (6,849,068 in state and another 211,727 out of state). By county, 742,785 in Bergen County, 615,886 in Essex, 547,505 in Hudson, 397,036 in Morris, 370,115 in Passaic, 94,887 in Sussex, and 62,729 in Warren.
Booster Shots: 4,283,917 (2,368,783 Pfizer, 1,841,178 Moderna and 73,956 Johnson & Johnson)
It is sheer madness to drop masking requirements when COVID cases are up in NJ by 21% in the past week alone, and R0 (rate of transmission) is at 1.13 (exponentially increasing outbreak) after hovering well below 1.0 all summer.
Here is my letter to Antonio Calcado, the COO of Rutgers:
Dear Mr. Calcado,
I write as a concerned citizen after learning of Rutgers University’s plan to lift masking requirements on campus.
As of today, COVID-19 cases in NJ are up 21% in the past week along. R0, or the rate of transmission is now 1.11, which means that an explosive exponential increase in cases is occurring. This represents an alarming increase in R0 from 0.86 over this past summer. Positivity rates are also increasing and are at a “high” level.
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2022/09/nj-reports-797-covid-cases-1-death-daily-positive-tests-continue-to-fluctuate.html?fbclid=IwAR0JoWKtiy0-TbWsjQgeZ38O_RGgDxGOSGsKvbgvd7u1ql5wh_7Aa-jVUiY
At this point, given the increased case numbers, it is highly irresponsible for Rutgers to lift its masking requirements. Rather than contributing to the improvement of public health, such an action would be likely to worsen the current surge in case numbers.
Rutgers cannot become part of the problem. It must be part of the solution to this pandemic.
Please reconsider this change in policy, which negatively impacts the entire state’s population.