DAVIS, Calif. — Effective March 19, UC Davis campuses will no longer mandate indoor masking in most indoor settings, according to university officials.
The university announced Wednesday it would start following updated guidelines on the local and state level, and from the CDC. Masks will still be strongly recommended, and they are still required in clinical settings and on public transit, in accordance with updated guidelines.
Employees and students not fully vaccinated are still set to continue testing every four days, and Davis campus employees and students who are fully vaccinated must continue testing every 14 days.
More updates will be provided in Chancellor Gary S. May's March 11 letter to the community, a university spokesperson said.
Last month, the CDC outlined a new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip. They focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals. More than 70% of the U.S. population lives in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks for now.
The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. The new recommendations don’t change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation.
California last month became the first state to formally shift to an endemic approach to the coronavirus with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mask mandates and business shutdowns.
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