Dear Campus Community,
I write today to alert you that we are reinstituting UMass Boston’s indoor mask requirement, effective Monday, May 9.
I wrote to you on April 21 about rising COVID positivity rates and strongly recommended that we all wear masks indoors. I also assured you that we would closely watch the data and monitor CDC guidance about risk levels.
As of Thursday night, our county (Suffolk County) has moved into the “high” risk category according to CDC Community Level data. When in this category, 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 plan to follow the CDC guidance. UMass Boston will re-institute our indoor mask requirement on Monday, May 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. We strongly recommend that you wear a higher quality mask such as a surgical mask, KN95-style or N95.
Masks and COVID tests are available on campus
Please continue to be vigilant in closely monitoring your own health and symptoms. If you feel 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:
- UHS testing clinic (Campus Center, second floor, Alumni Lounge)
- Campus Center Information Desk (Campus Center, Upper Level)
- Human Resources office (Quinn, third floor)
- Office of Environmental Health & Safety (Quinn Service & Supply, Upper Level, 034)
University Health Services also continues to offer COVID-19 PCR testing, free and on-demand, in the Campus Center. Students and employees can schedule an appointment online in My Health Beacon. (If you are symptomatic or believe you were exposed, call 617.287.4355.)
We extend a heartfelt thank you to all our students, faculty, and staff for your continued vigilance in keeping our community safe.
Sincerely,
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco
Chancellor
