HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii announced Wednesday that it will no longer require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students and employees on its 10 campuses. 

Also, students and employees with approved vaccine exemptions will no longer be required to regularly test for COVID-19. 

The new rules go into effect on Friday. 

However, testing will continue in student residence halls until the semester ends on May 13.

The university said in a press release that the decision was made to change the COVID-19 policies based on guidance from the UH COVID-19 Health and Wellbeing Working Group, which includes a team of UH medical and public health experts, and that the updates reflect guidance from the state and federal government. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone get vaccinated and stay up to date with their vaccination.

As of March 25, the university will also no longer require the use of the LumiSight UH health app for daily COVID-19 health screenings, that face masks be worn outdoors, that visitors provide proof of vaccination or negative tests to access campus events and campuswide notification of positive COVID-19 cases reported on a UH campus.  

Face masks are still required to be worn indoors in classrooms, shared laboratories, other tightly confined educational spaces and campus venues where the number of attendees is close to maximum capacity until the end of the Spring semester.