UConn Revising Its Mask Policy For Athletic, Academic Facilities

STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut has revised its mask-wearing policy for academic and athletic facilities.

Interim UConn President Radenka Maric made the announcement Thursday.

Effective March 4, masks will be "recommended" in nearly all settings on UConn, rather than "required.

Masking will continue to be required in all instructional settings, including classes, labs, studios, rehearsal rooms, and clinics, through at least April 1, when the University will re-evaluate the policy, officials said.

The rule applies to students, employees, and visitors on all UConn campuses and property other than UConn Health locations, Student Health and Wellness medical care in Storrs, von der Mehden Recital Hall, and the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. UConn activities such as classes or events that are hosted in spaces other than UConn property should follow the guidelines of the host facility, officials said.

UConn Athletics is also lifting its vaccination/testing requirements for fans attending games at Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center, effective immediately.

Officials said factors that allowed the university to make the changes are:

• Consistently low COVID-19 positivity rates and very high vaccination rates among students and employeesacross all of our campuses.

• Consistently low positivity rates in the state of Connecticut.

• New CDC guidance: Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted new recommendations related to preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. The recommendations are based on a new tool developed by the CDC that classifies each county in the nation as being at either low, medium, or high risk. The categories were determined according to the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. What prevention measures are recommended varies based on the risk level in each county. As of today, seven of Connecticut’s eight counties are classified as being “low risk.” The exception is Middlesex County, which is classified today as “medium risk.”

• Effective this week, the state of Connecticut is no longer requiring masks to enter state buildings.

Federal guidelines mandate masking on public transportation at least through March 18, so members of the public should continue to wear a mask on state, UConn, and WRTD buses.

According to the announcement, "While this change means masks will not be required in most settings, the university still recommends wearing them on our campuses. We also strongly encourage each member of the UConn community to continue to be flexible and courteous when it comes to masking. Please always carry a mask with you in the event you are asked to wear it in certain close settings, such as individual or small group meetings. Members of the community will be at varying stages of comfort with mask wearing and we want to be respectful of others.

"As always, the combination of public health guidance, risk, and local circumstances will continue to guide UConn’s policies with respect to COVID-19."