University of South Carolina (USC) has canceled its plan to enforce face coverings on campus for the upcoming fall semester, after the state’s attorney general warned that it would go against the intent of state legislation. The USC, whose campus in Columbia serves more than 35,000 students, on July 30 announced that everyone must wear masks at all times inside all campus buildings, regardless of their vaccination status, except in private offices, residence hall rooms, or while eating in campus dining halls. In a statement released Tuesday, USC Interim President Harris Pastides walked back from the previous plan, saying that masks will only be required in the university’s health care buildings and on campus buses. “I deeply respect all persons’ rights to make their own choices, and I respect our federal and state governments’ roles in guiding our university,” Pastides wrote, adding that the school continues to strongly encourage wearing …