The University of Maine System (UMS) has updated its COVID-19 guidance for children who attend an indoor gathering of more than 250 people on any of its premises.  

Starting Jan. 4, 2022, the System will require anyone five years of age or older attending an indoor event with more than 250 people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a negative test within 72 hours of the gathering. Proof of vaccination or a negative test also will be needed. The updated guidance reflects a recent recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that children ages 5–11 receive COVID-19 vaccines. 

The System also may require individuals who are not age-eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine — children younger than 5 years of age — to wear a face covering and pass a symptom check to participate in an indoor gathering of more than 250 people starting Jan. 4. The requirement does not apply to children younger than two years of age, who are not required to wear masks. 

The System extended its requirement to wear face coverings indoors through March 20.  

Learn more about the requirements on the Together for Maine website. 

About the University of Maine System

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System (UMS) unites seven Maine’s distinctive public universities, comprising 10 campuses and numerous centers, in the common purpose of providing quality higher education while delivering on its traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service.  

In 2020 UMS became the first and only statewide enterprise of public higher education in the country to transition to a unified accreditation for the system.  Much different than a merger or consolidation, unified accreditation is a new operating model for the University of Maine System that removes the primary barrier to inter-institutional collaboration.

A comprehensive public institution of higher education, UMS serves more than 30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff, and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty. 

Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.

The System consists of seven main campuses: The University of Maine (UMaine), including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMM); the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM).  The System also includes a UMA campus in Bangor, USM campuses in Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn, the University of Maine School of Law, and the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center.