The University of New Mexico (UNM) lifted its mask mandate on Saturday, a day after the state’s public health order expired.
A continuous decline of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state helped health and political officials feel more confident about lifting the mask mandate, according to Yahoo News.
UNM President Garnett Stokes said in an email sent to the entire campus that the university has agreed to health guidance provided by the CDC, the state Department of Health, local public health authorities, and its own medical experts.
“The university continues to make decisions guided by expert advice, while ensuring that members of our community have the resources they need to protect themselves and those around them," Stokes said in the email, according to Yahoo News.
The report said, "The mask mandate will be lifted at campuses in counties with low or medium COVID-19 community level, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means face masks will be optional in classrooms, labs, studios, libraries, residence halls, dining facilities, the Student Union Building, Johnson Recreation Center, offices, conference rooms, and extracurricular activities held in indoor on-campus spaces."
Masks will still be required on public transportation and in health care settings, Yahoo News said. A mask mandate remains in the north campus Health Sciences Center's academic and research facilities.
The Gallup campus requires masks indoors, as McKinley County remains at a high COVID-19 community level.
Stokes said, "Unvaccinated or un-boosted individuals are still strongly encouraged by the university to continue masking while inside UNM facilities and to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” according to Yahoo News.
