Arkansas colleges are now requiring masks in classrooms and indoor shared spaces after an Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of a state law banning mask mandates,
The mask mandates were issued on Wednesday, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. University of Arkansas System campuses were directed to implement face-covering policies after the system's Board of Trustees approved a resolution to institute the policies, "regardless of vaccination status" for indoor public settings when physical distancing cannot be assured "in accordance with CDC guidance regarding the COVID-19 Delta variant," the newspaper reported.
The decision comes as students have already started moving in at some campuses where classes begin next week. Other colleges are set to resume in-person instruction in the following weeks. The American College Health Association and other groups last week condemned Arkansas and other state-level restrictions barring colleges from requiring vaccines or other public health measures.
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