USC to review new L.A. County mask guidelines


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Los Angeles County will lift its indoor mask mandate for establishments that require proof of vaccination Friday, according to a L.A. County Department of Public Health news release Wednesday. 

USC faculty, students and staff are required to show Trojan Check — which includes proof of vaccination — to enter campus, recreational sports facilities and Galen Center. 

The University has previously said that it intends to follow L.A. County coronavirus guidelines, meaning that the University could potentially alter its indoor masking requirement Friday.

“The university has received the guidance from the county about indoor masking and is reviewing it. We will provide additional information as soon as it is available,” USC wrote in a statement to the Daily Trojan Wednesday. 

According to L.A. County guidelines, establishments can require proof of a negative coronavirus test for an individual to enter maskless if they are unvaccinated — within the past 24 hours if the test is antigen and 48 hours if it is PCR.

More than 95% students are currently vaccinated and 75% are boosted, according to a Feb. 8 student health media briefing. Students with approved exemptions — approximately 2%, according to September data — are currently required to test every 72 hours, and those who are not up to date on vaccinations, such as booster shots, are required to test every four days.

Positivity rates have declined significantly at USC over the past few weeks. The student positivity rate is currently 1%, a decrease from a high of 14.79% peak reported for the week of Jan. 2. The employee positivity rate is currently .768%, a decrease from a high of 13.33% reported the week of Dec. 26.

L.A. County positivity rates have also decreased since the omicron surge’s peak, with a test positivity rate down to 2.3% from a high of over 20% in early January. 

Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman announced Friday that USC will lift many of its coronavirus policies March 1st, including no longer requiring weekly surveillance testing for fully vaccinated and boosted students, reversing its “no-guest” policy in residential halls and ceasing its gym reservation programs. Van Orman also announced the end to the University’s outdoor masking requirement, effective Feb. 16.

“At this point in the pandemic, we are looking at the future with plans to modify protocols that remove mitigation levels as public health orders are revised to lift restrictions,” wrote Van Orman Feb. 18.