LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Masks will be required for students, employees and visitors at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall, under a policy that took effect Thursday.
The university's Forward to Fall committee approved the requirement among other moves intended to protect those on campus from the coronavirus, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
All those on campus will be required to cover their faces with masks inside buildings and in some outdoor spaces. People can remove masks while eating as long as they observe social distancing rules, and they won't be required for those alone in a room or vehicle, inside their on-campus residence or while working on some research tasks.
"This facial-covering policy has been established because we respect and care for ourselves and every person that we encounter on campus," a website stating the new policy reads.
The university also will reconfigure classes and dining halls to allow social distancing, and hand-sanitizing stations will be placed in high-traffic areas.
Those who violate the new rules may be asked to leave campus, and people who refuse could face disciplinary action.
The mask policy doesn't apply to Memorial Stadium.
Gov. Pete Ricketts has begun loosening rules for public gatherings, and if fans are allowed in the stadium or at other athletic events, Nebraska Athletics will establish guidelines, university spokeswoman Leslie Reed said.