Emerson to institute new COVID-19 protocol June 1

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Domenic Conte

A sign on the window of Emerson’s coronavirus testing site at Tufts Medical Center.

By Frankie Rowley, Content Managing Editor

Emerson will lift a number of its COVID-19 restrictions on the Boston Campus Tuesday, including “erasing” distancing requirements in on-campus spaces, providing the first hint at post-pandemic college life, college officials announced Thursday. 

Along with eliminating the distancing requirements, Emerson will restore room capacities to normal, pre-pandemic levels and non-Emerson guests will be allowed into non-residential on-campus spaces for the first time since the pandemic began. The college also dropped its requirement that students wear masks outside. 

The new guidelines, which last just for the month of June, are the first glimpse college officials have provided into what a post-pandemic Emerson might look like. The announcement from Assistant Vice President for Campus Life and “COVID Lead” Erik Muurisepp came just days before Massachusetts was set to lift the remainder of its COVID-19 restrictions. 

Many restrictions remain in place, including Emerson’s requirement that all community members accessing campus get tested weekly and wear a mask whenever indoors — regardless of their vaccination status. 

Muurisepp said these restrictions are subject to change as COVID metrics and vaccination rates increase. The College is prepared to revise these health and safety restrictions further as conditions improve and vaccination rates for our campus community increase,” he wrote in the email. “We will continue to communicate updates and changes throughout the summer.”