UI makes masks optional
Face-covering requirement was lifted Tuesday
The University of Idaho is no longer requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks inside buildings on its Moscow and Coeur d’Alene campuses.
The move to make face coverings optional, effective Tuesday, came after local COVID-19 cases dipped into the single digits last week.
In an email to university students and employees, UI President Scott Green and Provost and Executive Vice President Torrey Lawrence said easy access to KN95 masks and the COVID-19 vaccine also played a role in the decision.
“Masks are no longer required in labs, meeting rooms, hallways or other areas of the university,” the email stated.
However, to aid in the transition, the university is allowing individual instructors to continue requiring masks in their classrooms if they wish to.
The administrators advised students to continue carrying a mask and abiding by classroom requirements.
“Faculty, communicate your expectations immediately regarding expectations for mask usage in your classes,” the email stated. “Established protocols should be followed if masks remain required and there are concerns about compliance.”
The decision to make masks optional aligns with updated guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
Rather than relying on case numbers alone to determine risk, the CDC’s new guidelines recommend relying on COVID-19 hospital admissions, the number of beds filled by COVID-19 patients and new cases per 100,000 people. According to the guidelines, only areas with high risk should consider requiring masks.
Both Gritman Medical Center and Idaho Public Health support the move to make face coverings a personal choice, the email stated.
“But, if positive cases dramatically increase or if a new variant threatens our local hospital capacity, we will move swiftly to reinstate a mask requirement,” Green and Lawrence added.
Free rapid COVID-19 tests are still available to students and employees each weekday from noon to 2 p.m. at the east entrance of the Student Recreation Center with a Vandal ID.
The university is also facilitating vaccinations on its Moscow campus and is continuing through March 11 to offer incentives for students who submit proof of vaccination.
“It has been a long and winding road to arrive at a place where we can relax our mask mandate,” the email stated. “We hope we are finally reaching the end of the pandemic and recognize there will still be those in our community who remain at higher risk than the general population.”
Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.
