Stanford will open up access to campus outdoor spaces on Wednesday, June 16, ending its campus zones program that has been in place for over 10 months.

And until then, some campus visitors will also not need to worry about the zoning: Guests visiting campus for Commencement on Saturday and Sunday with credentials will be allowed to access the restricted zones before Tuesday. Additionally, people helping students move out of dorms may enter restricted areas during move-out appointments. 

Though restrictions to outdoor spaces will be relaxed, access to buildings and other facilities will still be carefully controlled. The precautions are necessary as more faculty, staff, postdocs and students return to campus in-person, the announcement said. The proposed date will closely follow the state lifting almost all pandemic restrictions on June 15.

“It is encouraging that public health conditions have improved sufficiently that we can now welcome more people back to our campuses, and we look forward to a continued increase in on-campus activities,” wrote University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne in a release. 

Stanford first implemented the zoning system at the start of the academic year, splitting campus into five segments. 

Community zones remained open to the public, while the Campus Arts Zone and the Athletics Zone reopened in mid-April. 

The Academic Campus Zone and Campus Zones are now reopening, as well as the Campus Zone on Stanford’s Redwood City campus.

Other changes include: 

• At the Dish, one-way traffic flow rules will also be eliminated. Face coverings will still be required when hikers cannot maintain six feet of distance, and they should still stay to the right of the path. The drinking fountain will still be turned off, so bring plenty of water, Stanford recommended. 
• Parking operations will also be returning to normal and no longer be enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visitor parking will also be available again in all parts of the main campus. Purchase a parking permit here. 
• Safety Ambassador and Safety Greeter programs will also be phased out. Ambassadors returned to their normal positions in Event Services on May 24, and Safety Greeters will remain stationed at popular areas through next Tuesday. After Tuesday, they’ll be limited to the highest-traffic areas through the rest of June. 
• Land, Buildings and Real Estate is rolling out a new tool to help visitors navigate building access restrictions called MyBuilding. The portal can be used to find information about cleaning procedures, ventilation, air filtration and signage, among other building features.