The College Fix By Jennifer Kabbany – Fix Editor
Harvard University is asking its students to eat and drink with their mask on.
The request was part of a lengthy memo sent to the campus community Sept. 10 from Giang Nguyen, executive director of Harvard University Health Services.
“Eating and drinking together are a cornerstone of human social interaction, but there are ways to interact that minimize the time spent unmasked and in close proximity,” Nguyen wrote.
Among his requests to students:
Follow the “Quick Sip Rule” when drinking. Lower your mask, take a sip, and then promptly cover your mouth and nose. A straw can make this more efficient. Do not linger with your mask down. If you wish to slowly savor a hot beverage, do it away from others.
Consume and cover! Consume your meal and immediately mask up when done. Conversation, checking your phone, and other activities should be masked, even when you are in a designated indoor dining area. If you are taking your time between bites (for conversation, for example), put your mask back on.
Dine in small parties of 2-to-4 people. Avoid table-hopping. Consider dining consistently with the same small group of people rather than a different group at every meal of the day.
The memo also encourages students to “socialize thoughtfully,” doling out admonishments that include:
Keep your close contacts to a minimum
Limit each interaction to under 15 minutes
Plan events that don’t involve eating, drinking, or removal of masks
As the Washington Free Beacon reports, “America’s future elites were also discouraged from socializing over coffee.”
Harvard did not respond to a request for comment from the Beacon, which reported the campus “has a 94 percent vaccination rate among its students. As of this week, its test positivity rate is 0.18 percent.”
