University of Kentucky requiring masks in all indoor spaces starting August 9

Masks will be mandatory inside all University of Kentucky indoor spaces – including academic and medical campuses – starting Monday, August 9, regardless of vaccination status.

President Eli Capilouto announced the campus-wide mandate on Friday, adding that that the requirement will be removed once there are “tangible signs that the incidence of the virus is declining.”

The school will require the use of masks in “all indoor spaces on campus where people gather,” namely inside classrooms, the Gatton Student Center, office spaces, recreational facilities and common gathering spaces like the lobby of residence halls. Here are the specific guidelines:

• If you are in your office meeting with someone, and you both have been vaccinated, a mask is not required.
• Similarly, if a student is in a residence hall room and is with their roommate or has a guest — and everyone is vaccinated — a mask is not required.
• However, in hallways and gathering areas, conference rooms and lobbies where people come together, masks should be worn by everyone, irrespective of vaccination status.
• Masks are not required for anyone alone in indoor or outdoor spaces. However, unvaccinated individuals should wear masks outside when around other people.

Students who are not vaccinated will take an entry COVID-19 test in the coming days and will be tested on a “regular basis” throughout the school year until they are vaccinated or provide verification of that status. Unvaccinated students must also continue to fill out the daily health screener. Mandatory vaccines and mandatory testing on a regular basis will be implemented for staff and faculty.

The decision to require masks comes after consultation with health professionals and scientists in recent days and weeks, with the school reaching a consensus on the matter.

“The consensus was clear that mandatory indoor masking is a prudent and appropriate step, given rising rates of COVID-19 infections, dominated by a more transmissible variant,” Capilouto said.

The school continues to push for vaccinations among students, adding that the total percentage among returning students, faculty and staff continues to increase and is now more than 70%.

“Let me be clear: The most important protection against the virus remains vaccines. Nothing else is close. The science is unequivocal on that fact,” Capilouto said. “… Since last week, more than 2,000 students, faculty and staff have self-reported to the university, verifying that they have been vaccinated. We have more work to do, but we are making substantial progress in our drive to vaccinate more than 80% of the campus early in the academic year.

“While vaccinations are our best protection — those vaccinated contract the virus far less often than others, and when they do, they are unlikely to get seriously ill — we believe now is the time to add additional safety measures. Masking has been shown to help prevent contracting the virus. As importantly, it helps stop the spread of the virus. Some of the latest science indicates that the Delta variant is more transmissible than early mutations of the virus.

“Although it is much less likely that a vaccinated individual would contract the virus, show symptoms or become seriously ill, masking will likely help reduce the risk even further. We want the campus to return to as normal and rewarding an experience as possible, including in-person classes and internships, a vibrant residential experience, events and games: all the things that make this place so special for everyone in this community.”

(UKY)