College of DuPage students must wear masks; vaccinations required in 2022

College of DuPage students and faculty must wear masks, even if they're vaccinated, for the fall term starting this month.

The state's largest community college is following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines urging universal mask-wearing in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission of the virus.

DuPage County falls under the substantial category, with more than 70 new cases of COVID-19 reported for every 100,000 people over the last week, according to CDC metrics.

Beginning Jan. 1, the college also plans to require all students and employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before taking in-person or hybrid classes next spring.

"As the state's largest community college with more than 21,000 students and 2,500 employees, COD is working to create a sound infrastructure that will ensure the administration can accurately and confidentially track the vaccination status of its students and employees," COD President Brian Caputo said in a statement Tuesday. "Once the infrastructure is in place, COD will announce its process in the coming months to ensure all have time to adequately prepare."

Both the Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Board of Higher Education strongly encourage colleges and universities to make vaccinations mandatory to protect campus populations and slow COVID-19 transmission in surrounding communities.

The Glen Ellyn school will give additional guidance about the process for requesting an exemption for medical or religious reasons, Caputo said in a campuswide letter.

Caputo said he sought input from other administrators and faculty about the vaccination requirement, calling it "the best opportunity to continue to provide a safe environment for everyone."

College officials said the school joins more than 600 other institutions of higher learning implementing similar guidelines across the country.

The fall term begins Aug. 23.