Masks will continue to be required inside most University of Wyoming buildings where 6-foot social distancing isn’t possible, following action by the UW Board of Trustees.

The board voted today (Thursday) to extend the mask policy, as Albany County remains in the Wyoming Department of Health’s “high transmission levels” category for COVID-19. As of Monday, there were 32 active cases among UW students and employees — 18 students off campus, 10 students on campus and four employees.

“Our indoor mask requirement has helped us have a traditional fall semester without a spike in COVID cases, and we appreciate the willingness of our community members to do their part by complying,” President Ed Seidel says. “It will be important for us to maintain a high level of compliance before and after the Thanksgiving break so that we can complete a successful semester.”

The mask policy will be revisited at the Dec. 15 teleconference meeting of the board, when the COVID-19 plan for the spring semester — including any mask requirement — will be presented. As it did at the start of the fall semester, UW plans to conduct required COVID testing of all employees and students who will spend any time on campus in the spring semester the week of Jan. 17, followed by weekly random-sample testing of 3 percent of the UW community.

Exceptions to the indoor mask requirement are voluntary public events such as athletics and music, theater and dance performances; voluntary social events; and private, by-invitation events that involve rental and/or use of UW spaces on campus. Employees and students who have legitimate medical reasons to not wear masks can seek exceptions.

An additional exception is for patrons of Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center when participating in recreational activities, sport or fitness or when a spectator at a voluntary public recreational event. Half Acre patrons are still required to wear masks when entering and exiting the building, at all customer service desks and in meeting rooms.

The latest statistics on UW’s current COVID case numbers and vaccinations are available at www.uwyo.edu/alerts/campus-return/covid-dashboard.html. People who test positive for COVID-19, along with those who have questions about testing and other issues, should call (307) 766-COVD (2683) or email COVID19@uwyo.edu. 

More information about UW’s COVID-19 response can be found at www.uwyo.edu/campus-return, which is being updated as information becomes available.