UC Irvine will enforce indoor mask mandate beginning Monday
After Orange County moved into the "high community transmission" level due to a spike in new COVID-19 infections, UC Irvine has reinstated its indoor mask mandate for everyone inside campus buildings.
The mask mandate will go into effect on Monday, the university announced, noting that "all individuals on campus will be required to wear a mask or face covering while indoors, regardless of vaccination status, except when alone in an enclosed space."
The move comes just days after both Los Angeles and Orange Counties were once again moved to the high tier by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The requirement was made "in order to help mitigate possible exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 on property controlled by UCI, and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the UCI community," said Chancellor Howard Gillman in a statement.
According to the directive, masks are required for everyone inside of a campus building, even if unaffiliated with the campus. The only instances when a mask is not mandated is when a person is:
- inside their on-campus living area;
- in an enclosed private space, such as an office;
- showering, washing face or brushing teeth;
- eating or drinking;
- or, a patient in a healthcare setting receiving treatment that requires removal of the mask.
The rule also applies to any UCI public transit, including the Anteater Express and other UCI vehicles.
On the other hand, the directive does not call for children under the age of two, anyone with trouble breathing, those with a medical condition or developmental disability or those engaged in strenuous physical outdoor activity.
UCLA reinstated its indoor mask mandate in late May and has since extended it. The university is also recommending all campus goers to be tested for COVID-19 every week.
Students, faculty members and staff at the UCLA and UCI campuses will have to wear a mask indoors even if they're vaccinated.
Over at USC, students and staff are not required yet to wear a mask indoors, though that could change soon if Los Angeles County reinforces the mask mandate.