The University of Alabama will no longer require face coverings in most of its facilities for people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Beginning Friday, masks only will be mandated for unvaccinated people indoors and in crowded outdoor settings or during outdoor activities that involve sustained close contact with others who are unvaccinated, the university said in a statement.

Masks are will remain required for people in patient clinical-care settings at University Medical Center, the Student Health Center, the Capstone Village assisted living and specialty care units, Brewer-Porch Children’s Center and the Working on Womanhood program — and for those on Crimson Ride buses, WBRC-TV reported.

The university said unvaccinated people will not have to wear masks when eating or drinking or while maintaining appropriate distancing, when alone in offices with closed doors, while exercising or in residence hall rooms.

Since the pandemic began, 15,573 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Alabama, according to the state Department of Public Health.