The Dawn of a New No-Mask Era Is Coming

From the Bruin: UCLA will lift its indoor mask and surveillance testing requirements starting April 11 for people up-to-date on vaccinations, the university announced Friday. Both wearing masks indoors and weekly COVID-19 testing will continue to be highly recommended, said Dr. Chaitali Mukherjee, the executive director of the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, during a briefing with the Daily Bruin on Thursday.

COVID-19 trends on campus continue to improve following the omicron surge – the positivity rate for surveillance testing has decreased to 0.4% from more than 9% in early January. COVID-19 hospitalizations at UCLA Health have gone down from 160 in January to 20 hospitalizations this past week, Mukherjee said. Current precautions, including the indoor mask mandate, will remain in place for the first two weeks of spring quarter to ensure COVID-19 numbers remain low before relaxing measures...

On the first day of spring quarter, March 28, instructors can decide to remove their masks while teaching, if they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations – defined as receiving all required vaccine doses and a booster shot if eligible – and if they are able to maintain at least a six-foot distance from students. Students, faculty and staff who must remove their masks indoors for music and performing arts will need to continue surveillance testing three times a week until LA County Department of Public Health requirements are changed.

During the briefing, Mukherjee said there will be a return-to-campus testing protocol following spring break. Students who live in congregate environments – including residence halls and fraternity or sorority houses – will be required to take a rapid COVID-19 test upon returning to campus. Students, faculty and staff who traveled during spring break will also be required to conduct a COVID-19 surveillance test on the day of returning, three to five days after returning and once the following week...

Full story at https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3404081487134867878/7531233924783176352.