Recommends but does not require masks in classrooms, offices or where groups congregate indoors; reluctance not unusual as administration is centered in ultra conservative Arizona County where only 40.4 percent of citizens are fully vaccinated
Yavapai Community College has fallen behind Arizona’s Universities and its largest Community College in Covid-19 safety protocols by not mandating the wearing of masks in classrooms, offices, and other indoor gathering facilities when classes begin August 16.
The mask mandate is a simple precautionary step recommended by reputable scientists around the world as a method of helping reduce the spread of COVID-19. While all public universities in Arizona have required precautionary measures such as mandating masks in certain locations (placing intelligence over ignorance), Yavapai Community College sits in the heart of conservative Arizona where common sense health measures such as vaccinations and wearing a mask are opposed by large numbers of the population.
There are significant political influences that may explain Yavapai’s reluctance to follow the best health protocols for educational institutions. For example, one of Arizona’s leading conservatives, State Senator Karen Fann, comes from the Prescott area. This is the location of the Community College’s largest concentration campuses and centers. It is also the home base for all of Yavapai’s administrators.
Senator Fann was a leader in the conservative dominated Arizona legislature that resulted in a law approved in July that was intended to outlaw mask mandates at all public educational institutions. However, because of sloppy last-minute drafting, it was discovered that Universities and Community Colleges were most likely not covered by the anti-health directive.
Senator Fann is also a supporter of the Community College with a relationship with its current president.
Meanwhile, cases of Covid-19 continue to leap upward in Arizona and Yavapai County. Prescott and Prescott Valley appear to be at the epicenter of the surge in Covid-19 in the County at the present time. The two municipalities reported a total of 71 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, August 13. The two also account for 52% of all 555 deaths so far in Yavapai County from Covid 19.
On August 13 the County health department reported there were 61 persons in hospitals in Prescott and the Verde Valley because of Covid-19 and the one-week positivity rate was at a shocking 14.4%. Also, according to the County’s August 13 report, only 40.4% of the County was fully vaccinated with 46.1% of its citizens having at least one shot.
