By Tom Kocal for ThisIsLaramie.com TKocal915@icloud.com 815-275-3025

A year after implementation, requirements for social distancing and the wearing of masks at the University of Wyoming have been lifted, following action by the Wyoming Department of Health.

UW’s Board of Trustees voted earlier this month to follow state Department of Health orders, which required masks in educational settings indoors only when social distancing couldn’t be maintained. The agency removed that requirement for higher education institutions Friday.

Effective May 24, the university is still recommending masks and distancing for those who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19, continuing UW’s transition to a traditional fall 2021 semester.

A mask requirement remains in place for UW Transit Service buses, in accordance with federal guidelines for public transportation.

The Board of Trustees’ and health departments actions followed new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or social distancing in most cases, even when they are indoors or in large groups.

UW announced earlier that it’s proceeding with plans for face-to-face classes at maximum capacity this fall, along with face-to-face student engagement programs, in-person athletics experiences and the like. The Board of Trustees voted March 26 to “fully reopen” the university “consistent with the health policy guidelines and directives of the state and federal governments regarding COVID-19.”