City College is keeping the mask mandate for students and faculty in effect through the rest of the spring 2022 semester. Santa Barbara County has since lifted the mask mandate, but City College will continue to require masks.
“SBCC opted to keep its mask mandate in place for the duration of the spring semester because we wanted to ensure the safety and comfort of all students, faculty and staff who are attending in-person classes or working on campus,” said Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications Martha Swanson in a statement to The Channels.
California does not require students to wear masks in K-12 schools as of March 12. Santa Barbara Unified School District is following the state’s lead and no longer enforcing its students to wear masks.
Starting on April 4, KN95 or N95 masks will no longer be required and students can wear surgical and cloth masks as long as they align with the CDC guidelines.
“The way in which decisions are made at the campus are multi-leveled. My job is to provide the college with guidance from Public Health to the committee that makes the decisions,” said Rini Montano, the staff COVID-19 compliance officer.
Students and faculty still need to fill out Cleared4 and get a wristband at the check-in tables every day in order to be on campus for the remainder of the semester.