Update on masking guidelines

Dear Stanford community,

I am writing to share an update on steps the university is taking – and that we as a community can take – to help minimize COVID spread and help keep each other safe.

Like many areas of the country, we are seeing an increase in COVID cases at Stanford. As of Thursday morning, 288 students were isolating after a positive test.

Although requirements for face coverings have eased, we strongly encourage masking, regardless of vaccination status, both indoors and in crowded outdoor settings.

Masking will continue to be required in classrooms and on Marguerite buses until further notice. Also, existing masking and testing requirements remain in place for faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholars who are not fully vaccinated and for students who are not fully vaccinated and boosted.

As state and county public health leaders have made clear, face coverings offer continued protection to individuals, especially those who are immunocompromised or otherwise medically vulnerable.

COVID testing continues to be strongly recommended whenever you are experiencing symptoms, concerned about possible exposure, or returning to campus from travel. Faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students should notify the university if they test positive. Information about testing resources is available here.

We are fortunate that our campus community is highly vaccinated and that, despite the increasing number of cases, hospitalizations and serious COVID cases have remained relatively low.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to support health, safety, and well-being at Stanford.

Sincerely,
Russell Furr
Associate Vice Provost, Environmental Health & Safety