RICHMOND, Va. -- Masks are now mandatory in all buildings on the University of Richmond campus, according to an email from a university spokesperson.
"We write to provide information regarding a temporary change in the University’s mask policy. From Aug. 20 through Sept. 12, the University will require all students, faculty, and staff to wear masks in all campus buildings, regardless of vaccination status," the email read.
Students have already arrived on campus and classes at the University of Richmond are set to begin on August 23.
The university planned to wait until the FDA granted COVID-19 vaccines full approval before requiring students, teachers, and staff to be fully vaccinated. The university shared that more than 90 percent of the student body and staff already reported being fully vaccinated.
"As a campus community, we are fortunate that we have exceptionally high vaccination rates," the email continued. "Unfortunately, vaccination rates are not nearly as high in our local community, and cases of COVID-19 have significantly increased in Virginia and our region since Aug. 9. Additionally, COVID-19 modeling provided by the Virginia Department of Health forecasts that cases in our local community will continue to rise over the next several weeks."
Students are not required to wear masks inside their dorm room. Click here to read UR's revised mask policy.