Universities in Canada are at the forefront of reducing risks and finding solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. While universities continue to place a premium on the health, safety, and well-being of their students, professors, staff, and wider communities, they are also stepping up to meet Canada’s crucial needs during this time of crisis. Universities are deploying human resources and infrastructure to help local initiatives to halt COVID-19 from spreading. Colleges and universities, as well as some governments, have sought to make immunizations mandatory for post-secondary institutions as vaccines have become more widely available. When courses begin in British Columbia, students at UBC, SFU, UVic, Thompson Rivers University, and Emily Carr University of Art and Design will still be required to reveal their vaccination status.
With September’s return to campus, I know that many of us are excited about the return to in- person learning, teaching, and research. In addition, considering the pandemic’s fourth wave, there is significant concern. TRU wants to reassure students that measures to guarantee a safe return are still being implemented. In recent days, the government has announced further safety measures, including the requirement of masks indoors and evidence of vaccination for non-essential services. The vaccination rates have already increased as a result of the evidence of vaccination initiative. This is crucial because the success of the BC COVID-19 vaccination programme is crucial to our return to face-to-face schooling. With this in mind, TRU required all students, teachers, and staff to self-disclose their vaccination status in order to ensure the safety of our university community and a successful return to campus. TRU has
requested students who have not been vaccinated to undergo regular rapid COVID testing, which is available on campus.
A vaccination clinic is open on campus for people who have not yet received a vaccine, and TRU expects students, professors, and staff to get immunized as soon as possible this fall. Restoring campus life to its former glory is a shared duty that will require the engagement of all members of our university community. If you are situated in a cubicle/study room where you are physically separated from others, masks can also be removed (2m). When not seated, masks must be worn. Faculty members will be allowed to remove their masks when lecturing if they are physically distanced from students, in order to support our learning. Students who are giving a presentation in front of a classroom or lecture hall may remove their masks as long as they maintain physical distance from the audience.
We will be wearing a mask a lot during the day as students. TRU encourages students to replace disposable masks as soon as they become dirty, and to wash cloth masks on a regular basis.
