Del Tech lifts mask, vaccine requirements

Delaware Technical Community College lifted a vaccine mandate March 2 that had previously been set for the summer semester.

“Delaware Tech will also remove all masking, testing, and vaccine requirements for our employees and students effective March 2. The most recent directives regarding self-screening, isolation, and quarantine remain in effect until further notice,” President Mark Brainard wrote in a letter posted on the Del Tech website and also sent to students.

The announcement reverses a directive Brainard announced Jan. 21 that required all visitors and students, both learning remotely and on campus, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the summer semester. Brainard was questioned by legislators during a Joint Finance Committee meeting about his policy decision, and parents and students protested Feb. 23 outside his office in Dover. He later revised the vaccine mandate for students who take classes remotely and sign a document stating that they will not step on campus. Del Tech staff and employees were allowed to take weekly COVID-19 tests if they were not vaccinated.

Parent Melanie Wilkinson of Lewes was one of dozens who protested in Dover, and she welcomed the latest decision.

“Hooray,” she said. “There are a lot of relieved people.”

Christine Gillan, vice president for strategic communication and marketing for Del Tech, said students who are learning online for the spring semester will continue, so their studies are not disrupted. They still have access to the campus and activities since the requirement was not scheduled to go into effect until the summer semester, she said.

Moving forward, Brainard wrote that the college will continue to monitor health data.

“As we have said through the course of these past two years, every decision we have made has been in the best interest of our students, employees, and the entire college community. Although no longer required, vaccines, masks, and distancing remain effective health strategies to combat the spread of the virus in the months ahead,” he wrote.

Wilkinson said a protest that had been planned for March 12 is probably moot, but she hopes others will stay motivated to end future public health directives that limit an individual’s ability to make personal healthcare decisions.