photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

Signs at the entrance to Strong Hall, home to the Chancellor's office and other administration at the University of Kansas, alert visitors that a mask mandate is still in effect on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.

Despite a lifting of the countywide mask mandate, masks are still required in classrooms at KU, but likely won’t be after spring break, Chancellor Douglas Girod said Thursday morning.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, though, KU is no longer requiring masks in nonclassroom settings such as libraries, dining halls, research labs, hallways, offices, meeting rooms and similar areas. A message from Girod also said masks would not be required in athletic facilities.

“We realize this will be an adjustment for some individuals, which is why we are taking a phased approach starting with non-classroom spaces,” Girod said in a message to campus. “Looking ahead, I expect we will remove the classroom mask requirement after Spring Break.”

A few nonclassroom settings will continue to require that masks be worn. Those include Watkins Health Center, child care facilities and campus buses.

Girod characterized Thursday’s announcement as a “phasing out” of KU’s indoor mask mandate. He said he was comfortable with moving away from the mandate because of declining COVID case numbers.

“The Douglas County Commission’s decision to let the county mask mandate expire as planned yesterday reflects the dramatic improvement in our region’s COVID situation,” Girod said. “Case rates and hospitalizations continue to fall, and Douglas County is no longer considered an area of high transmission by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

The CDC last week released new guidance related to mask wearing that puts counties in one of three risk categories. The CDC has placed Douglas County in its medium risk category, which the CDC said does not necessitate the wearing of masks by the general public.

KU’s decision comes after the County Commission on Wednesday took no action to extend the countywide mask mandate, which expired on Wednesday. However, the county and the Lawrence school district have not removed their own regulations that require masks inside their own buildings. The City of Lawrence has said masks are “strongly recommended” in city-owned buildings. All three entities said they are monitoring conditions and may announce further changes to their mask policies.

Other public universities across the state have begun to lift their masks mandates. Kansas State on Wednesday removed its requirement that masks be worn while indoors; however, the university is still strongly encouraging that masks be worn.

Emporia State University on Monday began to phase out its mask requirements; however, it has given ESU instructors “the right to require masks in their classrooms and offices,” according to ESU’s website. ESU staff and students also have “the right to request that people wear masks when meeting or working with them.”

Girod’s message today did not get into those types of details for the KU campus, but he said he expects members of the KU community to work together on such issues.

“Although we are phasing out our mask mandate, individuals should continue to feel comfortable wearing masks wherever they see fit,” Girod said. “I know I can count on each of you to respect your fellow Jayhawks’ preferences regarding masks.”

KU’s phasing-out plan applies to KU’s Edwards Campus in Johnson County, in addition to the Lawrence campus.