Campus Coronavirus News

UH mask policy rescinded after Gov. Greg Abbott’s order

Face covering will no longer be required on the UH campus after Gov. Greg Abbott signed an order prohibiting government entities from mandating masks. | Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Face coverings will no longer be required on the UH campus after Gov. Greg Abbott signed an order prohibiting government entities from mandating masks. | Juana Garcia/The Cougar

UH’s COVID-19 policy that required students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear face coverings on campus has been rescinded, effective immediately, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed an order prohibiting government entities from mandating masks on Tuesday afternoon.

The mask policy was put into review last week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines saying those who are fully vaccinated can go maskless in most situations.

Although the policy, which began more than a year ago in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, will no longer be enforced, UH is still encouraging mask-wearing, “especially for individuals who are not fully vaccinated,” said UH spokesperson Shawn Lindsey.

With cases dropping around the country, the University has already set plans for 80 percent of classes to be in person next fall and “for the UH community to return to normal during the next few months,” President Renu Khator said in a statement on May 5.

New COVID-19 cases within the UH community have also fallen drastically since the height of the pandemic.

An average of 0.71 new daily cases has been reported within the past seven days, compared to early January when the figure hovered above eight.

For more of The Cougar’s coronavirus coverage, click here.

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