Starting Monday, masks will no longer be required on campus at the University of Arizona β a space that includes McKale Center.
The university's mask requirement ends when students return from spring break. Fans attending Monday night's second-round NCAA Tournament game between Arizona and North Carolina can do so without a face covering, should they choose.
"Beginning on Monday, March 21, face coverings will be recommended but not required in athletic facilities," the UA athletic department said in a statement released Sunday night. The UA will still provide surgical-grade masks to any fan who wishes to wear one to the game. Masks are available at any of the McKale Center entrances.
Masks had been required at McKale since the start of the school year. UA president Robert C. Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke repeatedly stressed the importance of masking up indoors, and ushers and security guards took to holding signs urging fans to mask up. That didn't stop some fans from either refusing to wear them once inside McKale or exploiting loopholes that allowed fans to remove their masks to eat or drink.
Monday marks the final McKale Center sporting event of the 2021-22 school year. If Arizona wins, it will advance to the NCAA Regionals in Greensboro, North Carolina.
