West Virginia University Extends Indoor Mask Mandate

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (KDKA) - West Virginia University is extending its indoor mask mandate through Oct. 20.

The requirement was put in place in September and set to be reevaluated early this month.

The university says that while cases and quarantines among WVU employees and students are low compared to the rest of the state, hospitalizations throughout the area and state are high.

"We want to continue to be a good community partner to help further prevent the spread of the delta variant, and keeping these indoor mask requirements in place is the right decision given we have not yet seen a substantial decrease in hospitalization rates," said Dr. Jeffrey Coben, dean of the School of Public Health and associate vice president for Health Affairs, in a news release.

The mandate applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status. The university says about 75% of its employees and 79% of students on the Morgantown campus have verified they're fully vaccinated, and the rates keep increasing.