SIU changes mask policy; will make masks optional in some areas but not classrooms

By Janiyah Gaston, Assistant to the Editor|February 24, 2022

Signs and decals remind students to wear a mask and practice social distancing to reduce the spread/contraction of COVID-19 on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 in Kellogg Hall.

Southern Illinois University (SIU) said wearing masks will be optional in some areas of campus beginning Feb. 28. The announcement came in an email on Thursday.

Masks will still be required in classrooms, on Saluki Express and at Student Health Services.

“On Monday, Feb. 28, masks will be optional in most shared indoor spaces such as lobbies and hallways and event or gathering spaces like Morris Library, Banterra Center and the Student Center. However, masks will still be required in classrooms, labs, health care settings and public transportation, such as SIU Student Health Services and Saluki Express,” the email said.

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The statement said the university will keep the mask requirement in place for classrooms and labs through March 28 (two weeks after spring break) while it assesses all data, including campus and regional hospitalizations, positivity rates and to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Any changes will be announced prior to March 28, the statement said.

Assistant to the Editor Janiyah Gaston can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @DEJaniyah. To stay up to date with all your Southern Illinois news follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.