UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Eau Claire–Barron County and UW-Stout relax requirements for vaccinated individuals

May 27, 2021 - Starting June 1, University of Wisconsin System schools in River Falls, Eau Claire and Menomonie will relax their face covering and physical distancing requirements on campus for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The updates to campus health and safety guidelines at UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Eau Claire–Barron County and UW-Stout reflect recent COVID-19 guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wisconsin Department of Health Services and local public health agencies.

“On behalf of UW-River Falls, I am deeply grateful for the work of our campus community to help mitigate the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UW-River Falls Interim Chancellor Connie Foster. “This commitment to following our campus health and safety guidance is now paying off and we are finally able to begin returning to what we know to be our most effective ways of educating and interacting with our students and of collaborating with each other.”

“Through our actions, UW-Eau Claire and other Western Wisconsin universities have shown we care deeply about the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, but also about the communities where we live and work every day,” said UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt. “Our campus communities understood that the only way to combat COVID-19 was together by wearing masks, physical distancing, getting tested and now being vaccinated. We now enthusiastically look forward to the return to a normal campus environment this fall.”

“The health and safety of our employees and the community have been at the forefront of our planning efforts, and we are pleased to have reached this milestone,” said UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank. “As Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, it is especially important that we are able to resume regular operations this fall to support our students’ success through access to laboratories, studios, and facilities. Our faculty, staff, and students have responded tremendously in support of the health and safety measures, and I am confident that they will continue their efforts for a successful fall return by continuing the necessary precautions, including vaccinations.” 

The chancellors strongly encourage all students, faculty and staff to receive the vaccine. People who are not fully vaccinated will be required to continue to be tested and follow masking and physical distancing requirements.

For more information regarding each university’s guidelines, visit the following links:

UW-River Falls: https://www.uwrf.edu/Falcons-Forward
UW-Eau Claire: https://www.uwec.edu/coronavirus-updates/
UW-Stout: https://www.uwstout.edu/covid-19-coronavirus-planning-and-preparedness