LOS ANGELES — The University of California, Irvine on Monday will require all students and staff to wear masks while inside campus buildings, following the lead of other colleges that have chosen to strengthen safety measures in recent weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
UCI’s universal masking policy will apply to everyone on campus regardless of vaccination status, according to a statement from the university. The decision was announced after Orange County on Friday moved into the “high” level of community transmission set by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Other University of California campuses including UC Riverside temporarily restored indoor mask policies earlier in the summer that have since expired. UCLA temporarily reinstated its indoor mask policy in late June and later extended the requirement until further notice. UCLA has also reinstated daily symptom monitoring for students and staff. Weekly COVID-19 testing is strongly recommended.
