To the University Community:
Due to a substantial rise in COVID-19 positivity rates both in the state of Connecticut and on UConn’s Storrs campus and the potential risk this poses to the remainder of the in-person semester and commencement, the university is reinstituting a masking requirement for all indoor instructional settings, workspaces, and indoor events exceeding 100 individuals, effective Monday April 18. This applies to the Storrs and regional campuses.
“Instructional settings” include classrooms, labs, studios, rehearsal rooms and clinics. For employees, masks should be worn in the workplace, as was the case prior to March 3. Physical distancing is not required and catering and dining guidance is unchanged and continues to apply to upcoming events and awards ceremonies.
This policy will remain in place through the end of the semester and final exams.
The goal of this decision is to protect health on our campuses and to help ensure that the remaining weeks of the semester and UConn’s commencement ceremonies can be conducted in-person. A widespread outbreak that overwhelms university health services and available isolation space could potentially disrupt both.
When the university relaxed masking requirements in March, and then again earlier this month, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Connecticut was consistently low at about 2%; as of this week, the state’s seven-day average now stands at 6.26%. During the month of March and prior to that, the number of positive cases among students was also consistently low. Over the most recent seven-day reporting period, there were approximately 150 new positive cases both on- and off-campus.
UConn’s classrooms and workspaces remain extremely safe; resuming the masking requirement for these spaces during a time of rising infection rates further enhances that level of safety.
As always, the university adjusts its public health measures based on circumstances and available data.
Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Eleanor JB Daugherty
Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
