Fully vaccinated instructors at the University of Maryland do not have to wear masks when teaching if they maintain social distancing and the audience is masked, the university announced in an email Thursday.
The additional masking guidance comes less than two weeks before the first day of classes of the fall semester. The university previously reinstated its indoor mask mandate, following a similar announcement from Prince George’s County.
Masks are required while indoors, no matter an individual’s vaccination status, and they are encouraged at crowded outdoor events, Thursday’s email read.
Unvaccinated people and campus visitors must wear masks indoors, and unvaccinated people must also wear masks while outdoors in crowded spaces. As of Thursday, about 92 percent of the community has been fully vaccinated, and the university expects the number to increase before classes start Aug. 30, according to the email.
[UMD to reinstate indoor mask mandate]
Unvaccinated individuals are also required to comply with twice-a-week testing. Testing will be available on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Maryland Stadium, according to the email.
All on-campus COVID test results will be processed through a mobile app, the Maryland Genomics SampleScanner app. All community members will receive a personalized registration email for the app, according to the email.
The university is also encouraging all community members with weakened or compromised immune systems to wear a mask outdoors and maintain six feet of physical distancing at all times. The university may offer accommodations to such community members based on a letter from their healthcare provider.
