California universities reinstate indoor mask mandate as new Covid variant spreads rapidly

California universities reinstate indoor mask mandate as new Covid variant spreads rapidly

Universities in California are reinstating indoor mask mandates amid a surge in Covid cases fuelled by the hyper-transmissible Omicron BA.5 variant. The University of California Irvine announced it was reimposing compulsory mask in campus buildings from Monday regardless of vaccination status, the Los Angeles Times reported. The move came after Orange County health officials shifted to the “high” transmission rate according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker.