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Michigan State University to relax COVID-19 mask mandate

MSU
Michigan State University announced Thursday that it will soon allow students and staff to be unmasked in many indoor settings. There are exceptions including in classrooms and in healthcare facilities.

Michigan State University will loosen its mask requirement effective Sunday, university President Samuel Stanley Jr., told the campus in an email.

Masks will no longer be required in most indoor settings on MSU property including offices, libraries and dining halls. But they will still be required in classrooms, labs and research spaces when there is instruction being done or research being conducted. Masks will also continue to be required in buses and health care facilities.

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Faculty, staff and students are still required to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID or get an exemption, according to the Thursday email. But MSU athletic events will no longer require a mask and proof of vaccination.

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“Masks still are strongly recommended for those who are unvaccinated, have symptoms of COVID-19, have been exposed to the virus or are medically vulnerable,” the email said. 

The president encouraged people to respect individuals’ decisions if they choose to continue masking. Students are on spring break next week

The news comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its mask guidance last Friday, with the CDC urging continued mask usage only in counties with high risk levels. MSU’s East Lansing campus is in Ingham County, which is currently listed at a medium level, and thus is considered a mask-optional county by the CDC.  

The University of Michigan still has an indoor mask requirement in effect.

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