KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A preliminary court order out of Kentucky that spans over Ohio and Tennessee on Tuesday placed a preliminary injunction to prohibit the federal government from enforcing an executive order on federal contractors in those states; this injunction was cited in a letter from UTK officials that has changed the university’s mask and vaccine requirements.

Now, mask and vaccine requirements at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have been lifted in compliance with Tennessee Law. This information stems from a letter from Chancellor Donde Plowman to faculty, staff and students on Wednesday.

In that letter, Plowman explains the university has been monitoring the state’s challenge to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14042 which applied to federal contractors, like UTK. She stated, “We ask that members of the campus community make whatever personal choices they think are best with respect to vaccines and masks while being considerate of the choices, health conditions, and requests of others.”

Plowman implored everyone to be aware that the situation may again change as this legal process moves forward, “As we finish classes for the semester and head into exams, I’d like to thank each fo you for your work and care for each other this semester.”

Dec. 1 is the last day of regular classes at UTK.