AMHERST — Masks and face coverings are optional in indoor spaces for most of the University of Massachusetts campus as of Wednesday.
Ann Becker and Jeffrey Hescock, co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center, announced in an email to the campus community Tuesday that a significantly improved public health environment of campus, along with recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, is prompting the lifting of the mask mandate effective at 7 a.m.
“With this transition, we encourage everyone to respect the choices that individuals will make about their own masking,” Becker and Hescock wrote.
They noted that KN95 masks will remain available and free, but that individuals or departments will not be able to make more stringent requirements. They also observe that COVID-19 presents a fluid situation that could require return of a mandate.
The letter notes that masks will still be required on public transportation, such as PVTA buses; in health care facilities on campus, including University Health Services, the Public Health Promotion Center and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health; and at the Center for Early Education and Child Care.
