She clarified that the university wants all people in public settings, including those who walk through campus or jog in the campus also wear a face covering.
People should remove their face covering from their ears, store it and immediately wash their face and hands, Van Orman said.
"We recommend people to store it in a paper bag because that keeps it from contaminating anything," she said.
USC will distribute more than one cloth face coverings to students and employees, so people can wash them, according to Van Orman.
USC is requiring people to wear face masks or cloth face coverings on campus, Chief Health Officer Sarah Van Orman announced in an email Thursday evening.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced an order Tuesday evening that required people to wear a face covering when visiting essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores and ride-hail vehicles.
“Based on direction of the Mayor of Los Angeles, the use of face masks and/or cloth face coverings is now required in public settings on the USC campuses, effective tomorrow, April 10, 2020,” Van Orman wrote in the email.
She emphasized that wearing face coverings does not substitute social distancing and handwashing guidance.
“The addition of a cloth face covering (cloth mask, scarf, bandanna) may help reduce the spread of potentially infectious droplets within the community when combined with these other measures,” Van Orman wrote.
Van Orman said on Tuesday that a challenge for the face covering is that there has been no scientific or rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness; thus, public health officials still ask people to maintain social distancing and washing their hands.
In another email to essential employees, supervisors and students who remain on campus, USC said students must use face mask and/or cloth face coverings that cover their nose and mouth in public settings on the USC campuses and all employees must do so while performing their work. Supervisors must ensure employees are allowed to wash or sanitize their hands every 30 minutes.
The email was written by Van Orman, Senior Vice President of Human Resources Felicia Washington, Vice President for Student Affairs Winston Crisp and Deona Willes, director of Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
“Please know that failure to adhere to these mandatory protections will result in being asked to leave the campus or being declined service by any of our areas of operation (e.g., dining services, housing, transportation, etc.),” the email stated.
USC announced Tuesday that the university will provide face coverings for students remaining in university housing and essential employees on campus.
In a press briefing via Zoom Tuesday, Van Orman said she anticipated the face coverings that USC procured would arrive this week.
“Once they are available, we have enough to distribute to students that are residing on campus as well as essential employees,” she said. “They certainly don’t have to use the ones we provide. We want everyone to use one. We just want to make sure people have access to some face coverings.”
There are over 1,000 USC students still living in university housing.
In an email Thursday morning to students staying in campus housing, USC Housing said the reusable face coverings will arrive after April 10. Before these reusable face coverings get distributed, the university will give one disposable face mask per day to each student resident.
In an email sent to the USC community Wednesday, Senior Vice president of Human Resources Felicia Washington said non-healthcare essential workers will receive an email directly from EH&S about distribution and pick-up of non-medical grade face coverings.
“If you do not receive an email by the end of the week and believe this to be an error, please contact your HR Partner,” she wrote. “Keck Medicine requires all employees who remain on site to wear a mask when within a clinical space or when social distancing cannot be performed.”
The Thursday email said students residing in private off-campus residences may request face coverings by contacting housing@usc.edu for distribution instructions.
There’s a difference between a face covering and a face mask. Van Orman emphasized that surgical face masks and N95 face masks are important supplies for frontline health care providers and first responders.
“It is critically important to keep these items directed to our health care environment as we encounter a prolonged period of equipment shortage and expected surge in cases in the region,” she wrote in Tuesday email.
USC has already provided surgical masks or face masks to health care workers and the Department of Public Safety staff, according to Van Orman.
Wiles said on March 31 that her department, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, has been working with essential USC staff members, who continue to be on campus for keeping the university operation, to determine risk evaluations and strategizes ways of enhancing social distancing based on their work process and job descriptions.
The Tuesday and Thursday emails both included a guide sheet that explains different levels of risk with the appropriate safety measures and a cloth face-covering guide, both provided by EHS.
According to the EHS guide, it’s important for people to wash their hands after they put on or remove their face covering. People should also wash their cloth face covering at least daily, ideally after each use.
Van Orman said if people are not using their face covering properly, it could become a source of infection.
“In the U.S. and other countries, we should assume that everywhere we go, every surface we touch, every person who we come into contact with may potentially be infectious,” she stated.