YPSILANTI, Mich. (WWJ) -- As the new school year approaches, Eastern Michigan University students will be required to wear facemasks in classrooms this fall, regardless of their vaccination status, EMU President James Smith announced Wednesday.
In other indoor areas outside of the classroom, however, EMU says those who are fully vaccinated and have reported their vaccination status to the school will not be required to mask up, unless otherwise noted.
For example, officials say, all students will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status in the campus’s COVID-19 testing center.
The university says physical distancing will be enforced to keep students at least three feet apart while indoors, but fully vaccinated students will not be required to socially distance outside of the classroom.
Smith noted in a letter to the EMU community Wednesday that all policies are subject to change based on guidance and/or regulations from local, state or federal health agencies.
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Smith says EMU is “keeping a close eye on the Delta variant and case counts throughout Michigan, and will continue to carefully monitor conditions and work with our health agency partners.”
The announcement comes the same day Washtenaw County health officials announced COVID-19 cases are on the rise, with a case positivity rate of 3.4%.
The fall semester is scheduled to begin on Aug. 30. More details on the university’s COVID-19 policies this fall can be found on the EMU website.