ATLANTA — Anyone on a public university campus in Georgia will soon be required to wear a mask in just about any place they may come into contact with people indoors, officials confirmed on Monday.
Beginning July 15, the University System of Georgia said that it will be requiring all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear face coverings while inside campus facilities and inside buildings "where six feet social distancing may not always be possible."
There will be some exceptions, however. Those in their own dorm rooms or suites, and those working in enclosed offices and study rooms will be excluded from having to wear masks. Campus outdoor settings will also be excluded where social distancing is possible.
Violators will be either be asked to wear them or asked to leave. Repeat offenders will be disciplined "threat the applicable conduct code for faculty, staff, or students."
The masks will be in addition to social distancing and not in place of, the university system's note said.
The USG mentions that "reasonable accommodations" could be made for those who are unable to wear a face mask for documented health reasons. However, it's unclear what those may be.
The latest information does, however, provide a list of underlying conditions that may allow those of any age to request alternate work arrangements.
They include:
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)
- Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Smoking
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
The university system said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer provides a minimum age for risk, but the system will continue to use 65 years old as its "measure for evaluating requests for alternate work arrangements" in addition to the above conditions.
See a list of institutions that will be covered under the new requirements below:
**Map does not show secondary/satellite campuses
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