Winthrop University will now require masks on campus after SC Supreme Court decision
Winthrop University will require its students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks inside all campus buildings.
The Rock Hill university moved quickly Wednesday to implement the mandate after the S.C. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the University of South Carolina could require masks. The court ruling came despite a state budget measure — known as a proviso — passed in the General Assembly this year that prohibits schools from mandating masks.
The court said the proviso “does not prohibit a universal mask mandate” at a public institution of higher learning, but added universities cannot require only unvaccinated students to wear masks. Any mask mandate should apply to all students, the court said.
At Winthrop, masks will be required in all campus facilities, including classrooms, offices and labs. The requirement does not apply in a student’s own residence hall room, a staff member’s private office or while eating or drinking inside on campus, Interim President George Hynd said in a campus email.
Masks are not required outdoors unless gathering in close proximity to others, Hynd added.
“I hope you will once again embrace change in this pandemic and graciously do your part to help ensure we can continue to offer the exceptional educational experience that our students deserve and that we have a reputation for providing,” he said.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, backed by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, recommended people, vaccinated or not, wear masks in public indoor spaces in areas with high coronavirus activity to slow the alarming spread of the highly infectious delta variant.
At this time, every South Carolina county is experiencing high community transmission, according to the CDC, which is defined as 100 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. York County’s seven-day average of new cases, as of Wednesday, was 136 new infections per day, according to DHEC data.
Only 45% of South Carolinians are completely vaccinated, and 54% have received at least one shot, according to DHEC. In York County, 41% of the county’s population is completely vaccinated, and 51% have gotten at least one shot, DHEC data show.
“As we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our community, we will periodically review this requirement and its continued implementation, guided by advice and recommendations of the CDC and SCDHEC,” Hynd wrote.
Other universities implement mandates
Winthrop’s decision follows similar acts by USC, Clemson University and Coastal Carolina to quickly enact mask mandates after the state Supreme Court’s decision.
Earlier this month, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a letter, addressing USC President Harris Pastides’ effort to implement a mask mandate, that state universities do not have authority under the proviso to require masks.
After the court’s ruling Tuesday, Wilson said in a statement that his office understood that the court could reach a different opinion as the proviso was “inartfully drafted,” but he stands by his interpretation that state law intended to deny public universities the authority to issue mask requirements.
“While we disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling, we certainly understand its rationale and anticipated this was a reading the Court could give,” Wilson said in a statement.
“In fact, the Court quoted our letter to President Pastides that stated the proviso could be read another way. While the proviso was not clear, we think the legislature’s intent was, so now it’s up to the University of South Carolina to address this matter in light of the General Assembly’s position.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 8:11 AM with the headline "Winthrop University will now require masks on campus after SC Supreme Court decision."
