BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois State University on Tuesday started distributing KN95 masks on campus, aiming to slow the spread of the Omicron variant as students return for the spring semester.
In a statement, the university said KN95 masks will be made available to each student, faculty and staff member.
There are nearly 20,000 students and about 3,500 university employees, and each will receive a packet of two masks.
ISU students have been attending class virtually the past two weeks, but they’re set to return to in-person learning next week.
“KN95 masks are shown to provide wearers with a heightened degree of protection,” administrators said in their COVID-19 weekly report.
“Data have emerged in recent weeks that cloth face coverings offer less protection against the Omicron variant than against previous COVID-19 strains.”
