Penn State will once again require indoor masking on all of its campuses for the spring semester, the university announced on Friday.
All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, need to wear face masks inside campus buildings, including classrooms, dining halls, indoor sports venues and elsewhere. Masking is also required on public transportation.
“University officials will continue to monitor the evolution of the pandemic and the spread of various coronavirus variants and will adjust Penn State’s masking policy when it is safe to do so,” a university statement said.
The policy’s continuation comes as experts predict COVID-19 cases will rise in the winter months, according to the university. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still identifies high COVID-19 transmission rates throughout Pennsylvania.
Locally, State College Borough Council is expected to vote at its next meeting on Monday on a recommendation from the borough Board of Health to extend to January an indoor mask requirement for places open to the public.
Like the commonwealth at large, Centre County has seen an ongoing surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, with both at levels last seen in January.
According to Penn State’s COVID-19 Dashboard, 89.6% of students and 88.2% of employees at University Park are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Earlier this fall, Penn State expanded a COVID-19 vaccine requirement to all employees across its campuses. Employees have until Jan. 4, 2022, to receive their final vaccine doses, although they could request medical/disability or religious exemptions from the university’s policy.
