BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The attached video originally aired on March 1, 2022.
Bowling Green State University is no longer requiring face coverings or COVID-19 testing on campus, regardless of vaccination status, university chief health and wellness officer Ben Batey said Friday.
In a letter to students, Batey said vaccination among students, faculty and staff continues to be high, claiming the university's vaccination rate is far above others in the region and across the state of Ohio. Additionally, he said BGSU concluded its spring semester with some of the lowest case numbers since the onset of the pandemic.
"Our guiding principle has been and remains a balanced approach to encourage personal responsibility, adjustments as needed to public health guidelines and to create an environment for a Bowling Green State University education to move forward for our students," Friday's letter read.
Though COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots aren't required by the university, they are still strongly recommended.
"Getting a COVID-19 vaccine remains an effective tool in combating the virus, and the University continues to encourage anyone who is able to get a COVID-19 vaccine and stay up to date with their boosters as it relates to their personal health needs," Batey said.
There have been a total of 2,708,071 confirmed and probably cases of coronavirus in Ohio to date. On Thursday, May 5, 11,013 new cases were reported for the week. By contrast, there were 8,731 new cases reported in the state the week before.