New indoor masking requirements now in effect
COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
Dear Bruin Community:
With new and emerging variations of COVID-19 appearing in Los Angeles County and elsewhere, including the highly contagious Delta strain, public health officials are encouraging all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face masks in public indoor spaces. In light of this, and out of an abundance of caution, UCLA has modified campus masking protocols that were shared in a Bruin Post to the campus community on Friday, June 25.
At this time, indoor mask use, regardless of vaccination status, is required in UCLA classrooms, teaching labs, libraries, PreK-12 facilities, indoor recreation spaces and when using BruinBus, BruinAccess and UCLA SafeRide services. Face masks are also required for those working and participating in summer youth camp activities — both indoors and outdoors — except when eating, in which case masks may be removed as long as physical distancing is maintained.
Spaces and circumstances in which mask use is not required for fully vaccinated individuals — but is strongly recommended — are as follows. In the information below the * = after vaccine verification.
In research labs
While doing any activity, if you are:
• Unvaccinated/partially vaccinated – masks are required.
• Fully vaccinated – masks may be removed.*
In mixed-use buildings (including offices and meeting rooms)
While doing any activity, if you are:
• Unvaccinated/partially vaccinated – masks are required
• Fully vaccinated – masks may be removed*
While eating (including during meetings), if you are:
• Unvaccinated/partially vaccinated – masks may be removed as long as six feet of distance between the individual and others is maintained.
• Fully vaccinated – masks may be removed.*
Indoors at pre-K–12 facilities (including early childhood education centers, UCLA Lab School and Geffen Academy)
While eating, if you are:
• Unvaccinated/Partially vaccinated – masks may be removed as long as physical distancing is maintained in accordance with sector guidelines.
• Fully vaccinated – masks may be removed as long as physical distancing is maintained in accordance with sector guidelines.
Outdoors (including recreation, work and other activites)
While doing any activity, if you are:
• Unvaccinated/partially vaccinated – masks may be removed.
• Fully vaccinated – masks may be removed.
Specific information related to UCLA hospitals and clinics will be communicated directly by UCLA Health.
Although efficacy rates for fully vaccinated people are high when it comes to preventing serious COVID-19–related illness, new strains of the virus, such as Delta, are proving to be particularly harmful to those who have not been vaccinated. As such, all individuals are strongly urged to get vaccinated and wear face masks in off-campus public indoor spaces, including shopping malls, grocery stores and other locations where people gather.
As the medical and scientific community continues to study these variants to learn more about how and to whom they are spreading, it is imperative that we — vaccinated and unvaccinated alike — do all we can to halt transmission in a manner that provides maximum protection with minimal disruption.
We appreciate your continued efforts to take care of yourselves and those around you as we continue to navigate COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
Michael Meranze
Immediate Past Chair, UCLA Academic Senate
Professor of History
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
