Since March 2020 we have been living an unprecedented health situation in recent history, which is taking us to shifting epidemiological scenarios that require constant social adaptation. The measures that have been adopted by the Universitat de València have been the result of regulatory compliance, but also a result of the analysis of each of the scenarios from a perspective of prevention and safety of people. Moreover, all these measures have been subjet of discussion and reflection within the various levels of university representation and govern.

The decision released by the Conselleria de Sanitat Universal y Salud Pública on the 21st of April, 2022, subsequent to the Royal Decree 286/2022 by which the enforceability of the use of masks during the health crisis situation caused by COVID-19 was modified, authorises the people in charge of the prevention of occupational risks to determine preventive measures in workplaces or spaces in the workplaces where the possible use of masks is included, establishing that:

‘people in charge of the prevention of occupational risks (in accordance with the corresponding evaluation of workplaces risks) will be able to determine adequate preventive measures that must be introduced in worplaces or in specific spaces in workplaces. The possible use of masks is included here if this is concluded in the aforementioned evaluation’.

In this basis and after analysing the facilities and interpersonal dynamics of our university, the ruling of the mandatory use of masks of the 22nd of April (stated by the office of the vice-principal of Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Life as requested by the Health and Safety and the Environment Service) had the aim of achieving the protection of the members of the university community, particularly of vulnerable groups, in the best possible way.

However, as reported to the Government Council the 29t of April, the fact that the Universitat de València was the only one that enforced the use of masks in interior spaces as well as the fact that the Regional Office of the Secretary of Education of the Generalitat Valenciana did not establish its use in non-university educative spaces resulted in a context of social debate regarding the last decision taken within the university community. This was especially evident on the part of the student representation, but also due to the fact that there was no unanimous position of the Valencian public universities.

Because of this situation (including the fact that masks were not being used in other social contexts, making it difficult for the university to protect the health of students and workers) the Executive Council decided to firmly recommend the use of masks. In fact, different associations in the health field, such as the Spanish Epidemiology Association or the Spanish General and Family Medicine do not exclude restoring the enforceability of the use of masks, given the evolution of the incidence.

This may have produced the general sense of the use of masks being unnecesary among the university community, but this belief is incorrect according to the analysis carried out by the Health and Safety and the Environment Service.

To conclude, in this announcement we would like to continue to firmly recommend the use of masks to all groups of the Universitat de València, since it is necessary in order to protect ourselves. We would like to thank the work done by the Health and Safety and the Environment Service of our university, as well as to emphasise their activities in the development of their competences throughout the pandemic and the current context, in which public authorities have decided to place society and universities in a new coexistance with COVID-19. We would also like to thank the work done by the office of the general vice-secretary in supporting the legal foundations through the state and regional regulations and within the framework of the university autonomy, ilustrated in the Organic Law of Universities, as well as in the Statute of the Universitat de València.