Farmingdale State College reinstated its mask mandate Thursday and is part of a growing list of schools to do so.

Face coverings are now required indoors for all students even if they are vaccinated.

The requirement comes as the delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading quickly and accounting for 93% of all cases in the United States.

“We believe very strongly this will help prepare us for a safe semester,” Nader says. “We’re going to be back on campus, students are going to have a very large on-campus presence. We have always put safety and health first during COVID here and with the delta variant, we just thought that this was a simple and prudent step that we can take.”

The college will require vaccines for students living on campus and student athletes before the State University of New York’s vaccine requirement takes effect.

The requirement kicks in once full-use authorization of a vaccine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 

Hofstra University and Stony Brook University have also decided to require masks for indoor public spaces.

Dr. Matthew Projansky, of Syosset Hospital at Northwell Health, says it's a good thing colleges are starting to require masks indoors because even if you're vaccinated you can still catch and spread the delta variant.

"The delta variant, typically one infected person can pass it on to six other people on average whereas with the original virus it would be about two people they infect," says Projanksy.

Molloy College has not issued a mask mandate yet and in a statement says, "We continue to monitor the guidance from federal, state and local health officials to ensure the safety of the Molloy community as we return to on-campus learning this fall."

A spokesperson for Adelphi says the university is reviewing current CDC and New York State guidance and will be providing an update to the community before the start of the school year.

Classes at Farmingdale State College start on Aug. 30.