SIU leaders say the university's masking policy will change when the state's mandate sunsets next week.
In a message to the campus community Thursday, Chancellor Austin Lane announced masks would be optional in most areas starting Monday, February 28.
Masks will still be required in classrooms, labs, healthcare settings - including Student Health Services, and on public transportation.
Lane says the university will continue to monitor positivity rates, and another announcement about masks in classrooms could come in late March.
The move comes as COVID-19 positivity rates in southern Illinois continue to drop. Governor JB Pritzker's statewide indoor mask mandate expires on Monday.