Durham Tech to require masks indoors, effective Tuesday

Masks will be required indoors at all Durham Tech locations for all individuals this fall. 

In an email to the campus Monday, Durham Tech President J.B. Buxton said masks will be required indoors beginning Tuesday, August 3. 

“In the best interests of the health of our students, employees, and broader community, we will again require masks indoors at all Durham Tech facilities. This is a decision we hoped would not have to be made. Unfortunately, continued low rates of vaccination in our community have allowed the coronavirus to continue to circulate and mutate, resulting in an even more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19,” said Buxton. 

Durham Tech’s reinstatement of the mask requirement is aligned with guidance from the CDC and supported by state government.  

The College is requiring masks indoors at all facilities, but will not require masks for outdoor settings. 

The College does not currently have plans to reinstate check-ins or plan to reduce class capacity and meeting sizes. Durham Tech is committed to maintain the current schedule of in-person, hybrid, and online classes for the fall semester, Buxton said. 

Buxton said the College also plans to ask employees and students for their vaccine status in order to prioritize contact tracing efforts on campus. 

Buxton encouraged unvaccinated individuals to make an appointment to get vaccinated immediately. Wearing a mask will help curb the spread of COVID-19, but the vaccine is the best way to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death, he said. 
 
“It is in our hands. To keep our friends, families and colleagues safe, to have the kind of campus environment we desire, and to provide the education our students deserve, we need to follow safety protocols and get the vaccine. We all need to attend to these basic things if we want a Durham Tech that allows our employees and students to do great things,” said Buxton. 
 
For more information, contact Desiree Towson, M.S., Communications and Public Relations Coordinator, at allisontowsond@durhamtech.edu.