University of Alabama Extends Indoor Mask Requirement Until October 29

Students at the University of Alabama will have to wear masks while indoors until October 29, regardless of their vaccination status, with some exceptions for residences and places where social distancing can be maintained.

The requirement means that students must wear masks in all non-residential campus buildings, including classrooms and other buildings, as well as on-campus transportation, Erudera.com reports.

However, there will be some exceptions in office workspaces when distanced, private workspaces or offices that are not shared with others, residence hall rooms, and residence hall common areas if the distance is maintained.

Other exceptions include:

• While eating or drinking in dining venues, seated at a table

• While exercising

Teachers are also allowed to remove masks while teaching if they are distanced and behind plexiglass. Mask mandate will be in effect throughout the UA’s homecoming activities which will take place between October 17 and 23.

The requirement will not apply during football games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, except for fans in enclosed areas. Those who take a shuttle bus to the stadium are also required to wear masks.

64 percent of students and 72 percent of faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, are now fully vaccinated, whereas, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, 49 percent of students and 68 percent of faculty and staff have received COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the University of Alabama system COVID-19 Dashboard, there were 27 students and 13 faculty/staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 between September 20 and 26.

Over the period, 24 students and 11 faculty/staff members at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as eight students and two staff members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, have also tested positive for Coronavirus.

In early August, the University of Alabama introduced a temporary mask requirement for students, faculty, and staff inside most buildings on its campus in Tuscaloosa in order to protect students during the fall semester.

This fall, UA enrolled the largest freshmen class ever, while 2021 is the third year out of four last years when UA enrolled more than 38,000 students.

Similarly, Purdue University Fort Wayne has announced it has extended its temporary indoor mask requirement for students, staff, faculty, and visitors despite their vaccination status until the end of the Thanksgiving break, November 28.

“During its most recent review of COVID-19 data across Indiana and other factors, no evidence-based reason to suspend the current protocol was identified,” the university said in a news release.

The release further noted that the university is continually monitoring local and state conditions and will consider the mask requirement even before the Thanksgiving break.