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Princeton University Mandates Indoor Masks For Students, Staff

Beginning Wednesday, all students and staff at the university will have to mask up while indoors.

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PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University will require all students, faculty, and staff to wear masks while indoors in campus buildings effective Wednesday.

The mask mandates need to be followed irrespective of vaccination status, the University said. Exceptions to this requirement include working alone in a room or cubicle, or when eating or drinking.

The new mask mandates will be "evaluated weekly by a team of physicians and scientists," the University said in a Twitter post.

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The University's mask mandates come as COVID's Delta variant spurs a sharp increase in cases across the country. The highly transmissible variant now accounts for 90 percent of positive cases in the state, according to recent data.

The University earlier mandated the COVID-19 vaccine to all students and employees including faculty, appointed visiting faculty and researchers, temporary employees, and independent contractors. The final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has to be received no later than Aug.1, the University said.

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For the fall semester, Princeton plans to resume in-person instruction and operation. All classes are expected to be taught in person and all remote work is anticipated to end by Aug. 29.

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