Michigan State University is dropping classroom masking and still requiring COVID vaccines

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University is reassessing its COVID-19 restrictions after virus cases dropped significantly in recent weeks after a month-long spike in infections and hospitalizations.

The University of East Lansing announced Friday, April 15, that it will be lifting its COVID mask mandate for people on campus beginning May 16. Face masks will no longer be required to be worn during classes or in most research labs, officials said.

In the past month, university officials dropped the mask requirement for most indoor spaces, but face coverings were still required in classroom settings.

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Officials say that despite the lifting of the mask mandate, the university’s vaccination mandate remains in place for the 2022-2023 academic year. Per MSU’s immunization mandate, all students, staff, and faculty members on campus must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including the booster shot.

Only those with approved exceptions do not have to comply with the vaccination requirement.

“As the spring semester concludes, it is clear that our efforts to contain COVID-19 have been successful, allowing MSU to safely resume most in-person classes and activities,” MSU President Samuel L. Stanley wrote Friday. “I would like to thank members of our community for their efforts: your diligence and sacrifice over the past year and since the pandemic began in the winter of 2020 is greatly appreciated.”

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Due to a “continued decline in on-campus COVID-19 cases,” MSU is also ending its routine COVID testing program. Beginning May 13, community members with vaccination exemptions will no longer need to be routinely tested for the virus, officials said.

Click here to read Stanley’s entire statement.

Related: The judge throws out the rest of the lawsuit challenging MSU’s vaccination mandate

The news comes as the US has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases after a sharp drop in infections over the past two months. Experts believe another surge may be imminent, although the peak is unlikely to be anywhere near what it was during the last wave.

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Continue reading: It’s not over yet: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the US