Dear Campus Community,
I write today to alert you that we are reinstituting UMass Boston’s indoor mask requirement, effective Monday, January 9.
CDC advises indoor masking amid rising COVID rates
We continue to closely monitor campus and local COVID metrics, keeping a particularly close eye on the CDC Community Levels framework. As you are likely aware, positivity and hospitalization rates have been rising steadily since the end of November. As of this week, our county (Suffolk County) has moved into the “high” risk Community Level. At this level, CDC recommends that all individuals wear masks indoors.
While on-campus transmission has remained low and our very highly vaccinated population continues to have strong protection against severe disease, we nonetheless will continue to follow the CDC guidance. UMass Boston will reinstitute our indoor mask requirement on Monday, January 9.
Our mask requirement applies to all individuals regardless of vaccination status and the requirement applies in all indoor settings (including campus shuttles) as well as in crowded outdoor settings.
Masks and COVID tests are available on campus
Please continue to be vigilant in closely monitoring your own health and symptoms. If you feel any symptoms please stay home and get tested. We will continue to make antigen tests and masks (surgical and KN95) available at four locations on campus:
- University Health Services (Quinn, 2nd floor)
- Campus Center Information Desk (Campus Center, Upper Level)
- Human Resources office (Quinn, 3rd floor)
- Office of Environmental Health & Safety (Quinn Service & Supply, Upper Level, 034)
University Health Services (Quinn, 2nd floor) also continues to offer no-cost COVID booster shots and testing. Students and employees can schedule an appointment online in My Health Beacon. If you are symptomatic or believe you were exposed, please call 617.287.4355.
For the sake of the health of our campus and community, we are hopeful that this latest wave of the COVID pandemic will pass quickly. We extend a heartfelt thank you to all our students, faculty, and staff for your continued vigilance in keeping our community safe. You can find additional information about policies and FAQs on the UMass Boston COVID-19 website.
Sincerely,
Robert Pomales, Executive Director of University Health Services
Marie Bowen, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
