The health and safety of our campus community is UB’s priority and it’s up to each of us, individually, to practice health-conscious behaviors. UB has put the following protocols in place to protect your safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This guidance is subject to change and will be reviewed periodically to ensure compliance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State Department of Health (DOH), and World Health Organization (WHO).
For specific concerns please call (available 24 hours a day):
UB University Facilities Customer Services
716-645-2025
The use of face coverings (preferably a multi-layered cloth covering or a surgical mask) is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the most recent scientific evidence gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To protect their own health and that of their classmates, colleagues, friends and families, members of the UB community must commit themselves to wearing a face covering at all times according to the following guidelines.
When inside all UB buildings, classrooms, labs and facilities, all UB students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a face covering at all times. A face covering must also be worn at all times in outdoor spaces on UB’s campuses, to further reduce the risk of transmission as people travel from place to place.
Source: University Facilities
If you did not receive your face mask, please check with your supervisor or Unit Business Officer (UBO).
Additional face masks are available for purchase at the following campus locations:
UB will provide face shields to individuals who have a documented medical reason for being unable to wear a cloth face mask, or for any faculty member who prefers to use a face shield (instead of a cloth face mask) for purposes of lecturing.
Face Shields are not as effective as cloth face masks in preventing exposure to the COVID-19 virus. For this reason, UB will require any employee who requests a Face Shield to sign a disclaimer acknowledging that they are aware of this risk. In addition, we would ask that cloth face masks be worn in place of your face shield whenever possible.
To request a Face Shield, please contact Environmental Health & Safety (EHS@facilities.buffalo.edu) and include:
1. Name, Unit
2. Your role (e.g., lecturer, lab instructor, administrative staff, trainer)
3. Reason for requesting Face Shield:
EH&S will review your request and if approved, they will send you Face Shield Acknowledgement form for you to complete and return.
Once all documentation is received, EH&S will send you a Face Shield.
Source: University Facilities
All UB students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a face covering at all times when inside all UB buildings, classrooms, labs and facilities, or in outdoor spaces.
Even when social distancing is possible, face coverings must be worn at all times when in public spaces – indoors or outdoors on UB’s campuses – because the risk of infection still exists at distances greater than 6 feet.
All passengers on UB buses and shuttles are required to wear a face mask at all times. UB Stampede and shuttle drivers and passengers are required to wear face coverings at all times.
Within on-campus dining facilities, individuals should wear face masks until seated at least 6 feet apart from another individual, and then may remove their masks by necessity when actively eating or drinking. However, we strongly encourage mask usage inside the dining area when not actively eating and drinking. Masks must be worn when entering and exiting the dining area.
If you wear a cultural or religious head covering, such as a hijab, niqab, or turban, you are required to wear a cloth face mask, too.
In general, most cultural or religious head coverings either do not cover the face or do not fit snugly enough around the face to provide sufficient protection against COVID-19. Additionally, most head coverings that extend over the face are made of fabric too light and porous to offer protection.
Wearers of hijabs, turbans, tichels and head coverings like them that do not cover the face, must also wear a cloth face mask.
A standard cloth face mask can be tucked inside your veil or turban, behind your ears.
If you prefer to wear your face mask outside your head covering, consider attaching face mask extensions or buttons so you can attach ear loops.
Niqabs (niqaabs) and headcoverings like it do not provide sufficient protection against COVID-19 because they are not worn snugly against the face, are not air tight and are usually made of chiffon or other lightweight fabrics. For these reasons they do not effectively block your own respiratory emissions.
The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings that are at least 2 plies thick.
For these reasons, wearers of niqabs and coverings like it are required to wear a face mask.
Source: University Facilities
It is important to understand how to effectively put on, take off, clean (as applicable) and discard face coverings.
Put On Your Face Covering
Take Off Your Cloth Face Covering Carefully
Source: University Facilities
Cloth face coverings are recommended by the CDC. They reduce the wearer’s spread of respiratory droplets. Cloth face masks should have several layers of fabric and be replaced immediately if ripped or punctured.
They should be regularly laundered (daily if possible) and should hold their shape after laundering. It is safe to launder your face masks along with your regular laundry.
Cloth face masks help keep COVID from spreading to others.
Disposable surgical masks are acceptable for use on UB campuses. These face coverings offer some protection to others from anything exhaled by the wearer. They offer some protection to the wearer from the respiratory emissions of others, especially large droplets or sprays of biological fluids.
Surgical masks protect others from respiratory emissions of the wearer. They provide the wearer with some protection against respiratory emissions of others.
N-95 respirator masks are generally reserved for high-risk persons and individuals whose work puts them in closer than normal proximity to potential contamination, such as health care workers, first responders, clinical staff, and staff who clean contaminated spaces. N95 respirators must be properly fit in order to be used in a medical context. Please contact UB Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) for assistance (EHS@facilities.buffalo.edu, 716-829-3301).
N-95 respirator masks protect the wearer from the finer respiratory droplet emissions of others.
UB requires every member of the campus community to wear a face mask at all times. Most physicians and medical authorities agree that there are very few medical conditions in which a face mask will be unsafe.
In fact, the American Lung Association has stated that even individuals with underlying chronic lung disease should be able to wear a non-N95 facial covering without affecting their oxygen or carbon dioxide levels.
If you are uncomfortable wearing a face mask, we recommend:
In the unlikely event that you suffer from one of these medical conditions, you may be exempt from wearing a face mask if you provide a doctor’s note verifying that you have a medical condition that makes wearing a face mask unsafe. If you think you have cause for a medical exemption:
If your request for a face mask exemption is approved, you will be provided with a plexiglass or plastic face shield that should be worn at all times on campus.
If the individual is given an exemption for facial coverings, there is still the chance for confrontation or challenge by members of the UB campus community concerned about you as a potential spreader of infection.
Cloth face masks may not be enough protection for individuals whose work brings them into higher than average exposure to infectious airborne particles. Examples may include individuals who work on the front lines of health care or in some research laboratories. In these cases, UB will provide you with the appropriate personal protection equipment, including appropriate face coverings.
Face shields may be requested through EH&S.
Contact your supervisor or UB Human Resources at 716-645-7777 for specific guidance regarding your personal work situation.
UB will provide face shields to individuals who have a documented medical reason for being unable to wear a cloth face mask, or for any faculty member who prefers to use a face shield (instead of a cloth face mask) for purposes of lecturing.
Face Shields are not as effective as cloth face masks in preventing exposure to the COVID-19 virus. For this reason, UB will require any employee who requests a Face Shield to sign a disclaimer acknowledging that they are aware of this risk. In addition, we would ask that cloth face masks be worn in place of your face shield whenever possible.
To request a Face Shield, please contact Environmental Health & Safety (EHS@facilities.buffalo.edu) and include:
EH&S will review your request and if approved, they will send you Face Shield Acknowledgement form for you to complete and return.
Once all documentation is received, EH&S will send you a Face Shield.
COVID-19 has called for a few adjustments to use and procurement of personal protection equipment (PPE). In general, the use and ordering of PPE for normal operations (i.e., not related to COVID-19) has not changed.
According to the CDC, gloves are not necessary for general use and do not replace good hand hygiene. Wearing gloves can provide a false sense of protection. By touching multiple surfaces without changing or cleaning gloves, you may unwittingly contaminate surfaces or yourself. Unless you are directed to by your supervisor or faculty member, or you work in an area that requires it (e.g., health care), please do NOT wear gloves.
For more information on PPE, visit one of these websites:
All UB students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a face covering at all times when inside all UB buildings, classrooms, labs and facilities, or in outdoor spaces.
Even when social distancing is possible, face coverings must be worn at all times when in public spaces – indoors or outdoors on UB’s campuses – because the risk of infection still exists at distances greater than six feet.
All passengers on UB buses and shuttles are required to wear a face mask at all times. UB Stampede and shuttle drivers and passengers are required to wear face coverings at all times.
Within on-campus dining facilities, individuals should wear face masks until seated at least six feet apart from another individual, and then may remove their masks by necessity when actively eating or drinking. However, we strongly encourage mask usage inside the dining area when not actively eating and drinking. Masks must be worn when entering and exiting the dining area.
In fall 2020, the university provided one reusable face covering to all students, faculty and staff at no cost. Individuals may choose to wear their own appropriate face covering if desired, provided it meets the criteria for an appropriate face covering. Students should visit the COVID-19 Student Guide for information on where to obtain additional face masks on campus.
Face shields will be provided if there is a medical reason a person cannot wear a mask.
Additional face coverings are available for purchase on campus.
Face shields will be provided if there is a medical reason a person cannot wear a mask. Additional face coverings are available on campus.
At UB, only individuals with a physician’s authorization will be considered for an exemption to our campus mandate to always wear a face mask.
Most healthcare providers, researchers and infectious disease experts agree that there are few medical conditions prevent someone from wearing a mask. While there are some legitimate cases where it could be prohibitive, in general, if someone is well enough to be out in public, they are likely well enough to wear some kind of face covering. If you feel you have a legitimate reason to be exempt from UB’s mandatory face mask guideline, please contact Human Resources for instruction. A physican’s note will be required.
Masks are not air tight. Oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules are small enough to easily pass through a face covering. If masks made it impossible to breathe, then any surgeon, any nurse, any lab technician, any person who works in a job that requires them to wear a mask would be passing out.
No. Face masks and social distancing work together to protect us from infection. If you wear a face mask on campus, thank you. But you must also maintain a safe (6 foot) physical distance from others.
Striking a balance between individual liberty and collective safety is a challenge. Your individual concerns should be weighed against the need of the UB community to mitigate spread of the virus. Wearing a mask is a minimal sacrifice to protect us all. Further, many members of our community view it as a violation of their human rights to be exposed to potential infection from those who will not wear face masks. Like face masks, seat belts don’t guarantee your safety, but give you much better odds of surviving an accident or avoiding more serious injury. One big difference: Masks also help protect other people.
Thicker, more densely woven cotton fabrics are best, such as quilting cotton or cotton sheets.
Stretchy knits aren’t ideal.
Hold the fabric up to the light: The fewer tiny holes you can see, the better it will work to filter droplets.
Overall, making a good mask involves finding a balance: You want fabric that doesn’t allow droplets to pass through while ensuring you can still breathe properly with your mask in place.
A protective face mask is meant to fit snug around your face. Additionally, it should be at least two-ply cloth. If your niqab, scarf or veil drapes and does not fit snugly, or if it is made of chiffon, georgette or other thin fabric, you should wear a face mask. If the fabric is thick enough, you can always pin your niqab or scarf to tighten it around your nose and mouth.
Look for cloth face masks that tie behind your head.
Affix buttons or other fixture to the outside of your head covering and loop your ear loops around them to hold your face mask in place.
Use an extender with your cloth face mask. It will allow masks with ear loops to be clasped behind the head. There are many do-it-yourself ideas on the web.
All campus visitors, including vendors and contractors, are required to abide by UB’s health and safety guidelines, including wearing face masks on UB campuses. Some construction or trade workers on campus, however, are bound by requirements (New York state or OSHA) that may differ somewhat from UB’s health and safety guidelines. Construction work should always be taking place in areas fenced off from the general campus population. Within those fenced off areas, workers are required to abide by New York state and OSHA COVID-19 guidelines. As soon as those workers leave the fenced work area, however, they are required to follow UB health and safety guidelines, including wearing face masks at all times.
If you notice construction or trade workers outside their work area who are not wearing face masks, please contact Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).
The university has provided one reusable face covering to each student, faculty and staff member at no cost. The university recommends that individuals bring additional face coverings to ensure you always have a clean one on hand.
Additional face masks are available for purchase at the following campus locations:
It is generally safe to remove face masks if you are: