COVID-19: B.C. university students will not need proof of vaccination to attend classes in person - Globalnews.ca

Revised COVID-19 safety measures for post-secondary institutions in British Columbia include mandatory masks in indoor settings, but students will not be required to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend class.

At a press conference on Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced a return to mandatory masks in indoor public spaces.

The mask order will apply to all indoor public areas at university campuses, including lobbies, hallways, stairwells, elevators, classrooms and labs.

1:25 BC reinstates mask mandate province wide

BC reinstates mask mandate province wide

Students living in on-campus housing will also require proof of vaccination. There will also be a proof-of-vaccine requirement for some non-essential services and activities.

Proof of vaccination will be required at on-campus indoor venues such as gyms, nightclubs, restaurants and a variety of indoor events.

Officials said further guidance is being developed in the coming days.

Read more: B.C. brings back mandatory masks in public indoor spaces for entire province

When asked if universities can mandate vaccinations, Henry said colleges and universities have the option of requiring faculty and staff to be immunized, but “the short answer is, for students, no.”

Trending Stories

• Cheap money, shortages, investors and crime: The making of Canada’s housing crisis

• ‘We’re in big trouble’: Doctors worry Canada’s 4th wave of COVID-19 could be biggest yet

Henry said they don’t believe there is a need to mandate vaccinations for students to receive in-class education, given other safety measures such as assigned seating and wearing masks when required.

Read more: Masks to be required in B.C. classrooms from Grades 4-12 in September

“I will say that we know that the in-classroom setting is not the risky setting and it’s incredibly important that we don’t put barriers in place for people receiving education, and that includes post-secondary education,” she said.

One exception is health sciences students who will need to be immunized since they spend time in health-care settings.

4:25 B.C. prepares to rollout a vaccination card

B.C. prepares to rollout a vaccination card

Michael Byers, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said he will not teach in a lecture room unless there is a vaccine mandate for students.

I've just informed my department head that I will not teach 100 students in a lecture room without a vaccine mandate.
I'm confident that both the science and the law support me on this.
I am willing to teach on-line, like last year.@UBC @ubcprez @AnneKangMLA @adriandix #bcpoli

— Michael Byers (@michael_byers) August 24, 2021

“I’m confident that both the science and the law support me on this,” Byers wrote.

— With files from Richard Zussman and The Canadian Press

View link »

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Adblock test (Why?)

COVID-19: B.C. university students will not need proof of vaccination to attend classes in person - Globalnews.ca
Read More