BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — LSU announced Tuesday morning that the campus-wide mask mandate has been lifted.
“Upon the recommendation of our Health and Medical Advisory Committee, which consists of medical doctors, epidemiologists, engineers and biomedical researchers from across the state, we have decided to lift the indoor mask mandate on our Baton Rouge campus and end restrictions for on-campus events, effective immediately,” LSU President William Tate wrote in a press release.
Tate commended the “entire LSU community” for their cooperation with COVID-19 protocols, saying that vaccination numbers were rarely seen at other universities.
I want to add that we are moving forward with confidence, but with caution. While we are encouraged by the low number of cases we have seen this fall, and the overall success of our COVID policies and protocols, the pandemic is still a fluid situation. We will continue to carefully monitor trends, and these protocols are subject to change if transmission patterns, number of cases, or positivity rates in the Baton Rouge area change significantly. The health and safety of our campus community remains our highest priority.
LSU President William Tate
Quarantine protocols will remain unchanged, wastewater testing will remain in place, and testing of unvaccinated individuals will continue. More information about what to expect in the spring semester will be coming soon.
The Health and Medical Advisory Committee also continues to recommend vaccines and boosters for those who meet the criteria outlined by the Louisiana Department of Health. Booster shots and vaccines from all three manufacturers are available for students and employees at the Student Health Center. Testing, vaccines and boosters are also available at other campus locations. The Student Health Center also has flu shots available for students, and since cases of the flu are on the rise, we recommend the flu shot to avoid being sick during finals or over the holidays.
Tate recommends continuing to use caution as the holidays approach. The safest practices are to wear masks at group gatherings, stay home if sick, and get vaccinated if you’re able.
Children under 5 years old still cannot get vaccinated and are at risk, and those who have certain health conditions may be at risk even if they are vaccinated.
Tate concluded by thanking the LSU community for their cooperation throughout the pandemic.
“We have worked together, kept our case count very low, and protected the most vulnerable among us,” Tate said. “Please continue to exercise caution and good judgment so that we can keep taking positive steps forward.”