An ethics professor at a top New Jersey university has implemented a ‘non-negotiable’ mask mandate for his lectures over the ‘threat’ of Covid.
Dr Jerry Piven, who is listed as an assistant teaching professor at Rutgers University sent an email to students the day before class was scheduled to begin that included a class masking policy. It was published, in part, on X without his knowledge.
It reads: ‘And if you’ve looked at the syllabus or class announcements, you’ll know that it’s class policy to wear masks to class until reliable evidence shows that Covid is no longer a threat.
‘Per the link I sent, it is still a threat. People are still going to emergency rooms, dying, and having protracted symptoms from long Covid that last for years and can be debilitating.’
The link Dr Piven references was not included in the email screenshot or accompanying tweet, but data from the CDC shows weekly Covid deaths have been on the general decline since September and remain at historic lows, with around 500 deaths per week in January.
For comparison, at the January 2021 peak of America’s pandemic, nearly 25,000 people were dying per week.
Dr Piven’s email continues: ‘If you find it odious to wear a mask for an hour so as not to potentially sicken others, I advise you to consider the ethics and debate them in class.
‘If on the other hand, you don’t care about the evidence or people getting sick (and even dying), you are always free to find a class that better suits you. Naturally I’d prefer you stay, but for now you have the freedom to enroll in the classes of your choice.
‘But the mask mandate is non-negotiable. Hope to see you tomorrow.’
The above is a screenshot of the email Dr Jerry Piven sent to students. The image was posted to X by the account New Jersey Project
Rutgers University has three locations throughout New Jersey and has consistently been ranked as a top public university in the nation – reaching the number 15 spot in the most recent rankings.
It enrolls more than 69,000 students across its three campuses. For New Jersey residents, the 2024-2025 tuition ranges from $17,250 to $33,640. Tuition for non-New Jersey residents ranges from $36,760 to $53,155.
A screenshot of the email was posted on X by the account New Jersey Project. It is unclear how the account obtained a copy of the email.
Dr Piven confirmed to DailyMail.com he was behind the email and doubled down on his stance.
He added: ‘This mask mandate is based on current reports showing that Covid is still hospitalizing people, and accruing evidence that long Covid poses serious health risks.
‘It is based on the advice of virologists and bioethicists who confirm that Covid is still dangerous. And given the concentrated cluster of students, the communicability of new variants that escape vaccine protections, it seemed like a wise precaution out of concern for the students.’
Dr Piven told DailyMail.com his mask mandate is ‘not tyranny. It’s profound ethical concern for the lives of others.’
He added: ‘When the scientific data indicates that Covid no longer poses a threat, I will happily cancel the mandate.
‘But as of now, the notion that Covid isn’t a threat is simply not supported by empirical evidence, and is rather a fantasy or form of denial.’
Face masks became a politically divisive topic during the Covid pandemic, with Republicans mostly shunning them and Democrats mostly embracing them, despite conflicting research on the masks’ efficacy in preventing Covid.
Dr Jerry Piven teaches two courses in Rutgers University’s Department of Philosophy
The above graph shows the weekly Covid deaths (blue bars) and weekly percent positive Covid tests (orange line) from January 11, 2020 through January 11, 2025
On Rutgers University’s website Dr Piven is listed as teaching two courses in the Department of Philosophy – Phenomenology and Existentialism and Introduction to Ethics.
The 2025 spring semester is listed as having commenced on January 21.
The X account which originally shared a screenshot of Dr Piven’s mask email posted the caption: ‘Rutgers University professor playing the mask game. Of course this is a philosophy teacher. Dr Piven apparently doesn’t teach medical ethics.’
It is not known whether either of these courses are required classes for any majors, but Introduction to Ethics is listed as an option among required courses for a minor in Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
There are six other options for this class offered at other times with different professors.
Dr Piven’s email comes as the CDC reported 445 deaths in the week ending January 11 and a 6.6 percent test positivity rate.
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Covid was responsible for 1.25 percent of emergency department visits in the week ending January 4.
Meanwhile, long Covid is an amorphous condition made up of a constellation of symptoms from brain fog and fatigue to heart inflammation and joint pain.
An estimated 17 million Americans have long Covid, which manifests differently in each person.
Some people may only experience shortness of breath and fatigue, while others may experience brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
Dr Piven said he did not know the X account tweeted a portion of the email and does not know how the account obtained a copy of it.
Rutgers University states on its website: ‘Face coverings are not required at the university but are welcomed.’
Rutgers University has three locations throughout New Jersey, including in New Brunswick (pictured above), where Dr Piven teaches his courses
Additionally, the school ‘no longer requires students, faculty, staff, and university affiliates to be immunized against the Covid-19 virus.’
Dr Piven told this website: ‘My mask mandate also explicitly respects the freedom of students to choose other classes that they deem more suitable. No one is forcing them to take this class, and I respect their right to enroll in classes that accord with their own sense of freedom and liberty.
‘But one thing crucial to ethical principles is the concern for others, not just oneself. So if the available data indicates that a disease can be easily communicable, potentially dangerous, and pose long-term health risks, I will mandate the simple and relatively painless caution that students wear a nearly weightless mask for an hour per day.’
