Update on Transmission Level and Indoor Masking - Faculty and Staff

To: W&L Faculty and Staff
From: The COVID-19 Committee
Date: Sunday, August 8

As Mary Main explained in the Return to Work email on Friday, decisions regarding masking are based on the CDC's Interim Public Health Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals, which recommends that fully vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.

Since Friday, the City of Lexington's transmission level has been raised to high on the CDC's Data Tracker COVID-19 Integrated County View. For that reason, all individuals, including those who are fully vaccinated, are expected to wear masks in public indoor spaces on campus, and in university-sponsored meetings and retreats that are held indoors off-campus. Employees are not expected to wear masks in individual offices.

We recognize that local transmission levels may fluctuate often. We will continue to monitor levels in our area and act accordingly. Any employee who prefers to take the additional precaution of wearing a mask at any time is encouraged to do so, and no one should be discouraged from, or disparaged for, choosing to wear a mask and/or maintain a six-foot distance from others.