MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho and Whitworth University both announced Wednesday they will require masks to be worn inside regardless of vaccination status.
At the University of Idaho, masks will be required at any indoor university-sponsored event or space for the fall of 2021, according to the university’s website. The requirement will be reviewed every three weeks and changes will be communicated. Student will not be required to be COVID-19 tested prior to classes starting.
Whitworth will also be requiring masks indoors where eight or more people are gathered together in one indoor space. Vaccine exempted students will be required to mask inside while on campus and outside when physical distance is not possible. The requirement begins Wednesday and extends through Sept. 30, 2021. The policy will continue until the university knows more about the overall campus vaccination rates, the spread of the delta variant and insufficient vaccination rate of Spokane County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on July 27 all people in areas with significant transmission of COVID-19 wear masks indoors, whether or not they are vaccinated.
The new guidance is in response to the Delta variant of the virus, which is more contagious. The recommendation is based on levels of community transmission. The CDC has four classifications based on case rates: low, moderate, substantial and high. The mask guidance applies to counties that fall in the substantial or high categories.
Inslee announced the state is recommending that residents wear masks inside public spaces regardless of vaccination status in counties where COVID-19 transmission levels are considered “high” or “substantial.”
This new guidance is a recommendation and will not be enforced or part of any compliance requirement, according to Inslee.
In Idaho, the state has not issued any recommendation regarding masking.
However, all of Idaho's four-year public research universities will require face masks, regardless of vaccination status. The requirement goes into effect on Aug. 12.
The face mask requirement is one of the mitigation tactics the university is taking in order to minimize the chances that COVID-19 causes major disruptions to football games, student events, and social gatherings.
