Masks are no longer required at El Camino College as of the spring semester with the Student Health Center being the only exception to the protocol update as facial coverings remain a requirement for the facility.

The policy change follows the updated Los Angeles County Health Department Guidance for Institutes of Higher Education which as of Nov. 2, 2022, no longer enforces indoor masking to protect against COVID-19.

Individual members of the community may still choose to wear a mask if they desire to do so. Masks are still recommended to be worn, according to the college.

The decision to continue masking in the Student Health Center is in adherence to county and state public safety policies which require mandated masking in all healthcare facilities.

The policy change was first announced in an email from the Office of Marketing and Communications sent out on Feb. 2, 2023, but took effect at the start of the spring semester.

Director of Public Information and Government Relations Kerri Webb said the policy change means masking in classrooms is no longer up to the purview of individual professors.

“Before, if the professor said in this class we wear masks you kind of had to acquiesce, that’s no longer the situation,” Webb said. “Now it’s 100% up to the individual. If you want to wear a mask you can and if you don’t want to wear a mask you don’t have to.”