Carleton University is moving forward with plans to make vaccinations mandatory for students, faculty and staff who will be returning to campus in the fall.
The university laid out the updated regulations in a statement on Aug. 12.
Community members, students and employees alike, will be required to demonstrate proof they have received a full series of vaccinations approved by Health Canada or the World Health Organization (WHO) for at least 14 days.
The news comes one week after the university changed the vaccine requirements for on-campus residents and other students participating in activities that carry a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.
To gain access to campus, students and faculty who are unvaccinated will be required to undergo rapid testing and will be provided information on vaccination and booking an appointment.
Carleton’s vaccine clinic will be open mid-August, early September and through October to facilitate delivery of vaccines to Carleton community members, including all students, employees and approved contractors.
The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) was not consulted during the decision-making process but vice president (student issues) Valentina Vera Gonzalez told the Charlatan that members of the association are happy with the new regulations.
“I can definitely tell you that [students] were asking for this for a long time,” Gonzalez said. “So we’re just really happy that the university took these steps towards making campus safer for students.”
The Delta variant has increased Ontario’s effective reproduction number (Re) to 1.18 as of Aug. 3. Re is an estimated average of how many people will catch the virus from one positive case. Since mid-April, Ontario’s Re value has remained below 1 but it rose to 1.04 at the end of July and has since increased.
“Our plans will remain flexible as we assess the ever-changing risks presented by COVID-19 and as public health and government guidance changes over time,” said Suzanne Blanchard, vice-president (students and enrolment), in her statement on behalf of the COVID-19 steering committee. “It is our shared responsibility to be vaccinated and we encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.”
Carleton’s decision is consistent with other universities across Ontario, including but not limited to, the University of Ottawa, Western University and Queen’s University.
Gonzalez said that she would have liked to see Carleton be a leader in this decision, rather than a follower.
“Some universities implemented it first and took the lead on this and Carleton just went and followed after them,” Gonzalez said.
Featured graphic from file.
