Beginning March 7, vaccinated residents and guests of residence halls will no longer be required to wear face coverings.

This policy revision is in line with the campuswide mask mandate lift on March 7, where masks will be optional but strongly recommended for fully vaccinated individuals in most indoor settings. Masks will still be mandatory for individuals who are not fully vaccinated, noted campus spokesperson Adam Ratliff.

“In order to be considered ‘fully vaccinated’ you must have received your primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccine booster if eligible, as well as the flu vaccine,” Ratliff said in an email.

Ratliff added that there are no longer any recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health or local public health institutions for higher education settings to mandate mask-wearing.

However, all three organizations  “strongly recommend” vaccinated individuals to continue to wear a mask, according to Ratliff. As a result, campus will continue to recommend vaccinated individuals wear masks — preferably a KN95, KF94, N95 or a combination of surgical and cloth masks — in indoor settings.

“Throughout the pandemic, the campus has prioritized alignment with public health guidance and continues to do so,” Ratliff said in the email.