All three state universities will require face coverings in all classrooms and labs and at some other indoor settings; University officials believe they have not broken Arizona’s law on prohibiting mask mandates
Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona have announced that they will require face coverings in all classrooms and labs and at some other indoor settings. Although the universities’ new policies appear initially to contradict the Arizona law that prohibits requiring masks for unvaccinated people to receive in-person classroom instruction, University officials argue they have not broken that law.
ASU’s mask mandate states that: “In certain indoor settings face coverings will be required. Those settings include all classrooms and teaching or research labs.” Masks are also required “in close-quarter environments where physical distancing may not be possible.” These include ASU clinical programs and centers that serve the public; meeting rooms, production studios and other indoor locations where distancing isn’t possible; and all indoor settings “designated by posted signage.”
Meanwhile, university officials contend they have not broken Arizona’s mask law because the mandate applies to
everyone at ASU. “Unlike the legislation applicable to K-12 districts, neither the governor’s order nor the legislation applicable to the universities prohibits a mask mandate,” said ASU spokesperson Jay Thorne. “Instead, it prohibits the universities from either requiring vaccinations or imposing different requirements on students to attend classes (such as masking or testing) based on the student’s vaccination status or willingness to disclose that status.”
Thorne said that there is “no limit to what we can do in terms of masking at a university level and requiring that of all students in areas where we can’t provide physical distancing.” He said ASU officials believe they can require masks as long as there is no differentiation between unvaccinated and vaccinated students.
Northern Arizona University and Arizona University have followed the lead of ASU with their own mask mandates. So far, no Arizona Community Colleges have followed the three universities in issuing mask mandates.