UC Irvine is requiring all individuals in campus buildings to wear masks indoors, following multiple other Southland schools in recent weeks, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
UCI’s masking policy will apply to all individuals on UCI-controlled property regardless of vaccination status, except when the person is alone in an enclosed space, according to a July 18 statement released by the university.
The decision was reached after Orange County announced three days earlier that the county is now in the “high” COVID-19 community level as measured by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to this metric, if 200 people or more per 100,000 residents test positive for COVID-19, and at least 10 who test positive are hospitalized, then the county or territory is in the “high” bracket.
The school’s mandate also stipulates that individuals must mask while on public transit, in a UCI vehicle if they are riding with others such as on a campus shuttle, and may require even “stricter” face coverings at the university’s various health clinics, such as Gottschalk Plaza. Employees conducting work off-site must also wear a mask unless they are home.
According to Orange County’s COVID-19 case counts, there are currently 15 deaths reported for July 18 alone, as well as nearly 280 cases hospitalized, including those in intensive care.
Other University of California campuses including UCLA temporarily restored indoor mask policies earlier in the summer, with UCLA reinstating their mandate in late May after on-campus cases spiked by nearly 900 students in one week, according to a statement from the school.
UC Riverside took similar precautions as early as April 11, requiring face coverings for individuals not “up to date” on their vaccines, including boosters. They also strongly recommend masks even for individuals who were vaccinated, though the school does not require them, according to the school’s website.
San Diego Unified School District is also requiring indoor masking beginning July 18 after entering the high bracket of COVID-19 transmission levels the week prior, according to a district statement released last Friday. The district has not yet determined if indoor masking will be extended into the Fall semester.
With 56 out of 58 counties in California now reported to be in the high transmission bracket, according to the CDC, Los Angeles County is currently the first in the state to announce a return to indoor mask mandates, set to be reinstated on July 29.
