The University of Tennessee announced Monday that students and staff will be required to wear face masks indoors when the fall semester begins in two weeks.
Following new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UT will require all students, faculty and staff when indoors on campus to wear masks whether they are vaccinated or not.
The change comes as many major retail employers also are requiring their employees, although not their customers, to wear masks regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. Walmart, Publix, Target, Kohl's and Kroger are all requiring employees working indoors to wear masks. TVA and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee reimposed similar mask requirements for indoor work last week.
Publix began requiring associates on Monday, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear face coverings over their noses and mouths while inside any Publix location.
(READ MORE: Some of Chattanooga's biggest employers are bringing back mask mandates)
"We encourage all to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19," the company said.
Target said it is not only mandating masks for its own employees in high-risk areas like Tennessee, the retailer also "strongly recommends" wearing masks for shoppers.
UT President Randy Boyd said with the delta variant of the coronavirus still spreading, "we want to help ensure the safest return possible" as classes resume. UTC classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 16.
Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Students wear masks as they walk through the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Aug. 17, 2020."We are excited to have our campus communities together this fall and are planning full campus experiences across the UT System," Boyd said in a statement Monday. "The best way to take care of each other as we return to campus is to first take care of ourselves by getting the COVID-19 vaccine."
Some local hospitals are also reinstating stricter visitation policies in light of the worsening outbreak. Erlanger Health System officials announced via social media over the weekend that no visitors will be allowed in the adult emergency departments at Erlanger's main hospital in downtown Chattanooga, Erlanger East and Erlanger North.
Erlanger Bledsoe, Sequatchie and Western Carolina emergency departments may have one visitor, according to the visitation policy online. Pediatric patients at Children's Hospital and Western Carolina emergency departments may have two caregivers, as may patients at the end of their lives if approved by emergency department management.
Erlanger hospitals will allow one visitor per day for admitted adults and up to three visitors per day, but only two allowed at the bedside at a time, for admitted minors.
Parkridge Medical Center and Parkridge East Hospital are also not allowing visitors in the emergency department, and patients who are admitted to the hospital are allowed one visitor total per day.
CHI Memorial last updated its visitation policy online on June 25 to allow two visitors per admitted patient during daytime hours and one overnight and one visitor per adult in the emergency room.