SU’s face covering requirement lifted for outdoors, still in effect indoors

Consistent with the CDC’s recent guidance, Seattle University will no longer require students, faculty and staff to wear face coverings while outside on campus. Those who are not fully vaccinated (two weeks past final dose) should continue to follow CDC safety guidelines such as physical distancing and wearing face coverings when unable to maintain the distancing. The CDC also provides guidance on outdoor activities for vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

While the CDC’s guidance allows fully vaccinated people to stop wearing face coverings while indoors, SU is still requiring that campus community members—regardless of their vaccination status—continue to wear masks indoors. (The CDC continues to emphasize the importance of adhering to state, local and private guidelines which may be stricter than federal guidelines.)

With just three weeks remaining in the spring quarter, the university believes it is safer for all community members to keep its indoor face covering policy unchanged for now. In addition to the short amount of time left in the school year, the decision is based in part on the current number of community members registered as vaccinated, the still high number of COVID cases in King County and what we know about indoor transmission of the virus. Looking ahead, the university’s decision-making and planning will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its students, faculty and staff and be informed by public health guidelines and vaccination rates. 

As the CDC also advises, people who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune systems may not be fully protected even if they are fully vaccinated and may need to continue taking all precautions. In these cases, it is advised to talk with a healthcare provider.

Vaccination registration update

To date, 19 percent of our campus community has reported being fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including 14 percent of our students and 40 percent of both faculty and staff.

Where to get vaccinated

Visit King County for locations that provide vaccinations. For those outside the Seattle area, search vaccines.gov, text your zip code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you

Other Helpful Resources

Student Support Center
Events for Students
COVID-19 Confirmed Cases Dashboard
Free COVID-19 Testing Locations