Back to campus: UNMC’s mask policy

With a new semester under way, faculty, staff and students are reminded that UNMC’s interim mask policy applies to all University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) faculty, staff, fellows, residents, students and visitors while on property owned or controlled by UNMC.

Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, has told the campus community to “Wear a mask, wear a mask, wear a mask.”

“The data is absolutely clear that masks protect you . . . and masks protect others,” Dr. Gold said in a July forum.

“We aim for a triply-assured level of safety — I mask, you mask and we stay six feet apart,” said Ted Cieslak, MD, interim executive director of health security.

All UNMC faculty, staff, students and visitors (including contractors, service providers and others) are required to use a facial covering at all times when indoors (including elevators) on a UNMC campus, with the following exceptions:

• When eating (social distancing practices must be observed).
• When alone in a room with a closed door.
• When in a motor vehicle alone or only with members of your household.
• When an alternative is necessary as indicated by a medical professional during patient care.
• When in one’s assigned place of residence or UNMC housing unit.
• When the task requires the use of a NIOSH-approved respirator.
• When pertaining to children under the age of 2 years.

In all other indoor settings on campus (including private spaces and cubicles without closed doors), facial coverings must be used, even in situations where others remain more than 6 feet away.

See the policy in full, including the reason for the policy, additional protective measures and information on requesting alternatives.

Unless subject to specific exemption, facial coverings also are required in outdoor settings on the UNMC campus, including when individuals are simply transiting open spaces. While brief outdoor “mask breaks” are permitted, such breaks are prohibited in heavily trafficked areas such as in crosswalks and near the entrances and exits of buildings This policy shall remain in effect until further guidance is provided from the Office of the Chancellor.

What constitutes a face covering:

There are no universal design standards for facial coverings. However, the covering must extend from the bridge of the nose to below the chin.

• Reusable cloth facial coverings are acceptable, as are disposable paper masks.
  
• A face shield is an acceptable alternative for those lecturing at the head of a classroom or auditorium, so long as they never come within 6 feet of others. Face shields are not acceptable in other situations except as an accommodation granted to those unable to wear cloth face coverings by either the Department of Human Resources or the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.
  
• Neck ‘gaiters’ and bandanas are not acceptable substitutes for cloth masks and should not be used.

• Masks and respirators with exhalations valve are not to be used.

Any employee, student or visitor who fails to abide by these guidelines may be asked or directed to leave the campus space. Employees and students who are directed to leave a campus space for failure to comply with these guidelines may be taken off duty and/or subject to disciplinary action. For non-emergency COVID-19 concerns, including compliance with the face covering policy, please report your concerns to your supervisor or to the Office of Health Security.