Steph Valenti
Reporter
It has been several weeks since Pacific Lutheran University’s mask mandate was lifted on March 12, following Washington State’s new mask-optional policy.
The student body and staff members shared a range of emotions about the lift, with concern about potential COVID cases rising with mask mandates no longer being in place. For several weeks, case numbers were steady, but April saw a sudden spike. Thanks to the accessibility of testing on campus, cases are being quickly identified, which is essential to minimizing the amount of COVID cases among PLU students and staff.
During the week the mask optional policy was adopted, there were zero cases, and numbers stayed below two for three weeks.
On March 25, the start of spring break, many students began to make their way home, which created new potential exposures from their new settings. Once spring break was over and students returned to PLU, the numbers began to change.
The PLU COVID-19 Task Force has kept track of the numbers throughout the weeks, and continues to send updates on PLU’s COVID status. Here are the numbers since February:
Weeks Cases on Campus
3/12 – 3/18* 0
3/19 – 3/25 2
3/26 – 4/1** 0
4/2 – 4/8 8
4/9 – 4/15 8
4/16 – 4/22*** 16
4/23 – 4/28 4
The week the mask mandate was lifted*
Spring break**
Easter weekend***
In the week of April 16, cases on campus doubled. Most of these cases were determined by at-home testing kits, Shawn Thompson, Associate Director of Emergency Programs and COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator, said.
“Home testing has been around for a while, but what caught my attention was that almost three-quarters of last week’s cases were from these,” Thompson said.
At-home testing became more accessible to everyone throughout the country, but over the last few weeks, PLU has been able to provide free at-home tests to students throughout campus.
With spring allergies and colds in full swing, people are experiencing symptoms that are very similar to those of COVID. However, with at-home testing being so widely accessible, people are testing more than ever, and with more testing, more cases are bound to pop up, Thompson said. Even with the sudden spike a couple of weeks ago, Thompson is not currently too worried about the small increase in cases. However, he remains cautious.
“Despite the relative stability we have been fortunate to have had, things can change,” he added.
Staying home when having symptoms is just as important as testing, Thomspon said, regardless of it being COVID or not. When symptoms are presented, at-home tests can be found throughout campus, rapid testing is available at the Anderson University Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Curative Kiosk, which offers PCR testing, at the Health Center parking lot is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
