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Face Mask Policy Details

March 4, 2022

Dear members of the SLU community,

As President Pestello announced yesterday, SLU will update its face mask policy and guidelines for our St. Louis campuses effective Monday, March 7. Our implementation of this and future changes to our COVID-19 safeguards will be approached in phases and centered on our Jesuit values.

This email includes details about:

Where face masks are required vs. optional

Beginning Monday, March 7, face mask guidelines will vary based on setting and situation. You should carry a face mask with you at all times so that you can easily adapt to the few settings where face masks are required.

How we put our values into action

As a Jesuit university, we do our work for and with others. We seek to align our actions with , which prioritize community, the needs of the vulnerable, and respect for the dignity of each person.

There are members of our community who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection, or who live with or are caring for vulnerable loved ones. In our policies and our everyday interactions, we must do what we can to respect those members of our community who have a higher need for protection from COVID-19. It’s the right thing to do.

Opportunities to live our values when it comes to face masks:

Why you should be vigilant about COVID-like symptoms

When face masks are optional in some settings, the risk of disease transmission will increase in those settings – even when infection rates are low.

It is more essential than ever that any individuals who have COVID-like symptoms follow these steps:

If you are unable to teach or attend class due to a positive COVID-19 test:

How to obtain KN95s

SLU is obtaining a supply of KN95s to support our community members who wish to have a more protective mask/respirator to wear in mask-optional spaces.

The CDC offers of different types of masks and respirators. The type and fit of a mask will affect the level of protection it provides. In general, a tight-fitting surgical mask or KN95 respirator will provide greater protection than a cloth mask, and N95 respirators provide the highest level of protection.

If you would like to request a KN95, please email pandemic@slu.edu.

Factors that led to a phased approach to relaxing guidelines

Face masks have become an emotionally charged and divisive issue. We heard extensive feedback from the community, including more than 7,000 survey responses. As you can imagine, a broad range of perspectives was represented.

In the end, the decision to take a phased approach was grounded in consensus science, an analysis of campus data, input from the campus community, and our University’s values.

These factors made it possible to loosen restrictions to some degree:

These factors demonstrated that it was beneficial to take a phased approach to relaxing face mask requirements:

What to expect next

These guidelines constitute the first phase in what will be a series of updated face mask and COVID-19 guidelines. We anticipate that this first phase of updated face mask guidelines will continue from March 7 - March 27.

If conditions change before March 27, we will consider adjusting the masking policy before then. Otherwise, we will announce whether we will continue with the current plan or progress to the next phase of loosening COVID-19 restrictions beginning March 28.

Stay tuned for additional information that will be shared soon about other COVID protocols that may be loosened, including our policy on .

Thank you for your continued goodwill and commitment to our community.

Stay safe and be well.

Terri Rebmann, Ph.D., RN, CIC, FAPIC
Special Assistant to the President
Director, Institute for Biosecurity
Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
College for Public Health & Social Justice