COVID numbers on our campus have slowly increased, Kent County continues to rank "High" for transmission and test positivity rates, and several hospitals in West Michigan are nearing bed capacity once again due to COVID with at least two above 90 percent.Now is not the time for our mask-wearing habits to slip, both literally and figuratively.We still have a mask requirement in most indoor public spaces on campus. It has not gone away.As a COVID Response Team, we are hearing more and more reports of people wearing masks poorly or not at all in locations across campus, including such high-traffic areas as Hekman Library, Johnny's, and the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex.In addition, staff in these locations - oftentimes student staff - are being treated poorly, sometimes with hostility, when they rightly approach people to remind them of their responsibilities when it comes to wearing masks properly.We want to be very clear: masks remain a critical tactic in our campus approach to mitigating the spread of COVID-19, and the proper use of masks in all indoor public spaces is helping ensure that our in-person learning together can continue. But they only work when they are worn.When people don't wear masks, or don't wear them properly, they are shirking their duties as part of a community that has come together for a common cause. Indeed, we come together as part of a covenant, one that includes a responsibility to ourselves but also a responsibility to each other.During the COVID-19 pandemic, that responsibility to each other includes wearing a mask and should not include treating others with disrespect when they try to do the right thing by reminding others of this.So, during this time on campus where masks are required in indoor public places, please make life easier for event hosts and the people around you (some of whom might be immunocompromised!). Continue to wear a mask and wear it properly. In fact, we have a poster on our website that you can download that nicely shows how to best wear a mask:https://calvin.edu/dA/bb02061e10/Calvin%20Masks%20PDF.pdfThanks for your continued commitment and cooperation.The COVID Response Team