BILLINGS - Montana State University Billings said Friday they have recommended employees and students wear face masks or face coverings indoors on both university and City College campuses regardless of vaccination status due to the rise in the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.
In a press release, the university said the recommendation aligns with the recent guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention which encourages individuals to wear face masks indoors regardless of vaccination status in places with high transmission rates, such as Yellowstone County.
MSUB will continue with the indoor mask recommendation until the county’s level of community transmission is reduced, the press release states.
MSUB continues to encourage its employees and students to get vaccinated and has offered community vaccination clinics throughout the summer in partnership with RiverStone Health on both campuses. The next community vaccination clinic is Tuesday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the university campus in the Student Union Building. Both the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the two-dose Pfizer vaccine will be available. No appointment is necessary.
“We’re highly encouraging our employees and students to consider getting vaccinated, especially before the fall semester begins,” said Sep Eskandari, MSUB Provost and COVID-19 Task Force Lead. “It’s also important that we continue to take COVID-19 seriously and follow the CDC guidelines, such as staying home when you are sick and self-isolating if you test COVID-19 positive.”
Eskandari also said that MSUB was deemed one of the safest places in Yellowstone County over the last 18 months by Yellowstone County Health, and that MSUB will continue to do everything they can to maintain that status.
As this situation is constantly evolving, MSUB continues to actively monitor changes and will provide updates to their employees and students as new information becomes available, the press release states.