The University of Delaware is imposing a two-week mask mandate for all classrooms, research laboratories and university transportation.

The university said its action was preventative. “COVID-19 continues to spread across the nation, now with the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron variant. We know from campus experience over the past two and a half years that COVID-19 cases tend to surge at the beginning of each semester, largely due to the sharp increase in campus density as students arrive at UD from various locations around the United States and the world,” said a university notice.

While most colleges are not imposing mask mandates this semester, Grinnell College also imposed one for the first two weeks.