GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With COVID-19 cases surging the University of Florida notified all students, faculty and staff Friday they would be asked to wear face masks indoors even for those who are vaccinated.
The university sent an email Friday informing students, faculty and staff of safety precautions put in place in light of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending everyone mask up again.
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Florida reported a record number of new coronavirus cases Friday and is averaging more than 19,200 per day with more than 12,500 hospitalized with the virus across the state.
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“Effective immediately, in light of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we expect everyone to wear a mask at all times when inside any UF facility, even if you are vaccinated,” the notice read. “This includes our students, faculty, staff, vendors and visitors. Recent studies and guidance from the CDC state that both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals can transmit the current COVID-19 variant to unvaccinated persons.
Everyone is asked to complete weekly COVID-19 screening emails to help better inform UF medical teams of a potential outbreak. The university plans to continue contact tracing through the UF Health Screen, text and protect program.
The university is also encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, if possible by no later than Aug. 22.
There are also options for students to get their second dose on campus.
“Vaccines are readily available at no cost and have been demonstrated to be safe and effective against the COVID-19 virus,” the notice to students read. “Our UF Health experts tell us that even if you’ve had COVID-19, you still need to get vaccinated. Having had COVID does not provide nearly as much protection as the vaccine.”
There is also COVID-19 testing available on campus. For a list of testing locations and information, click here.