Cal Poly will drop its indoor mask mandate for most students, but don’t throw out the masks just yet.
Mask wearing will become optional for students who have received a booster shot starting in the Spring quarter, the university announced Thursday.
“Although the science suggests that it would be safe to lift the mandate in classrooms sooner, we recognize that changing the protocol mid-quarter may cause unnecessary disruption and confusion for some instructors and students,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong wrote in a memo to the campus community.
Students who have not received a booster shot will still be required to wear masks in classroom settings next quarter. The mandate will not be dropped entirely for boosted students as mask-wearing will be required for on-campus transit and in healthcare settings.
Cal Poly also announced a testing requirement for unboosted students returning from Spring break. The university says it does not anticipate a testing requirement for students who have received a booster shot.
University officials say that 94% of students are fully vaccinated, adding that 90% of the eligible student population has received a booster shot.
