Individuals inside Arizona State University's buildings, and in certain outdoor situations, will be required to wear a face covering starting Friday, according to a statement released by President Michael Crow.
Crow's statement, which was released Friday, requires all employees, students, and visitors to wear face coverings while inside buildings and in "outdoor community spaces where social distancing isn’t possible."
Some examples of outdoor community spaces include parking garages, shuttles, bicycle racks, and sidewalks, according to the statement.
The requirement for face coverings was already in place for the fall 2020 semester, but this announcement makes the requirement effective immediately.
"Given the current rise in COVID-19 cases we’re seeing in Arizona and a lax attitude toward face coverings and other social distancing measures since Governor Ducey’s stay at home executive order was lifted, we feel it is important to accelerate our policy," Crow said in a statement.
The announcement comes after ASU transitioned to online teaching last spring following multiple confirmed cases of coronavirus among students.
In late April, officials with ASU announced that in-person classes would resume in August.
The university has been steadily releasing plans on how it will handle schooling in the fall.