Boise State announced that it is fully removing its campus mask mandate, effective March 14.
In an email to faculty and staff on Monday evening, the university stated that masks will be optional in all university spaces, including indoor instructional spaces like classrooms.
Masks will still be required in University Health and Counseling Services, the COVID Testing Center, Vaccination Clinic and the COVID isolation hall.
By federal order, masks are still required on public transportation, including Boise State shuttles.
Certain classrooms and instructional spaces may be subject to temporary remaining mask mandates under ADA accommodations. However, the university expects all temporary extensions to end by March 27.
To request an ADA accommodation, faculty and staff should complete a request for accommodations and a medical release authorization; students seeking accommodations should contact publichealth@boisestate.edu to initiate the accommodations process.
For those still interested in masking, free KN95 masks are available for pick-up outside of the COVID Vaccination Clinic, in Human Resource and at the Info Desk in the Student Union Building (SUB).
“We appreciate your flexibility as we work through this transition,” the email stated. “Please continue to be respectful of all members of our community, regardless of your views on masking. And finally, thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our campus healthy and safe.”
As of last week, Ada County was reclassified from a ‘high’ standing down to a ‘medium’ COVID community level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The City of Boise lifted its mask mandate on March 7, and the Boise School District will move to optional masking on March 8.
On Feb. 28, Boise State administrators announced that the university would be transitioning to a partial mask mandate, applicable only to instructional spaces and classrooms, as of March 7.
The university attributed this transition to falling COVID rates on campus and in Ada County.
