The University of Oregon will keep the mask mandate through March 18 — the final day of winter term, according to an announcement Thursday afternoon.

Following that date, masks will be optional at most places on campus, with exceptions in certain environments like healthcare.

The decision follows Oregon Health Authority’s announcement earlier this week that the statewide mask mandate will be lifted by March 12.

In the announcement, UO Chief Resilience Officer Andre Le Duc said students and faculty are still welcome to wear masks. Masks are strongly encouraged for those who are not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, he said.

Currently, 96.8% of students and 95.3% of staff are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the UO COVID-19 Safety Dashboard.

Le Duc also acknowledged that students and faculty will have varying levels of comfortability with the new guidelines.

“Everyone has the personal choice to continue to wear a mask as an effective strategy to protect themselves, and we ask that everyone respect that choice,” he said.

UO will still distribute KN-95 masks to students, the email said.