A recent departure from the University of Waterloo’s reinstated mask mandate has brought COVID-19 back to the forefront of the school’s public health debate and left faculty, students and administrators at odds.
Until Jan. 9, Waterloo had reinstated all mask requirements for indoor instructional spaces, including lecture halls and tutorial rooms. Students and faculty could still choose whether to wear a mask in other indoor spaces and while outside on campus grounds.
This partial mandate, similar to the policy at Wilfrid Laurier University in the fall term, came via recommendation of public health experts. It happened amid increased transmission rates at Waterloo indicated by wastewater testing, according to a November statement from the university.
Anna Drake, an assistant professor of political science at Waterloo, said the mandate followed increased pressure from advocates outside the university to deliver on the advice of doctors and public health experts.
“A number of individuals from the community pushed the university to listen to public health advice,” Drake said, adding a mandate was first recommended at the start of the fall term.
She noted Waterloo’s hesitancy toward imposing a mandate early on led the administration to wait “longer than expected” to reinstate certain mask requirements. Drake said much of this had to do with mitigating potential public health concerns for the December exam season.
“We will not hesitate to reimpose any measures, including mandatory masking, if they become necessary to reduce risk …”
On Jan. 16, Waterloo senior media relations manager Rebecca Elming told the Charlatan via email that while masks are now once again optional for the winter term, they remain strongly recommended.
“We will not hesitate to reimpose any measures, including mandatory masking, if they become necessary to reduce risk to our community as we did late last semester,” Elming said. “As always, decisions will be based on scientific evidence and epidemiological data and will follow guidance from public health officials.”
Drake, who has actively advocated on social media for greater public health transparency at Waterloo, was vocal in targeting specific policies at the university that she said went against general public health advice.
“The only thing institutions respond to is anything that is perceived to violate their own policy,” she said.
Drake called Waterloo’s public health communication lackadaisical and said the university must do more to combat online apathy and misinformation about COVID-19. She said Waterloo’s faculty has responded positively to most masking directives during the pandemic, despite what she described as a “very small, loud minority of faculty who do not want mandates at all.”
Emmett Macfarlane, a Waterloo associate professor of political science and public policy scholar, said he completely supports reinstating all COVID-19 mandates at the advice of public health authorities.
He said mandates should extend to vaccine shots and boosters, similar to the recently revoked policy at the University of Western Ontario. Macfarlane criticized Waterloo’s administration for not acting sooner on public health advice.
“Things got expeditiously bad,” he said, putting much of the blame on miscommunication by provincial health authorities. “We have a huge number of students reporting cases, and pediatric ICUs are overflowing.”
The Waterloo region recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases before the mandate was reinstated in early November. At the time, this included an average of almost eight new COVID-19 cases per day per 100,000 people. While this number has since fallen, Macfarlane said his main concern remains those at risk of serious health complications due to COVID-19.
“Those who are immunocompromised or have a disability are those who are excluded from a safe campus,” he said.
Elming noted Waterloo maintains “enhanced ventilation and cleaning procedures” and closely monitors COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses present in its community.
“Those who are immunocompromised or have a disability are those who are excluded from a safe campus.”
Aali Charania, a first-year mathematics student at Waterloo, said he and his peers had a more indifferent reaction to the reinstated mask requirement than that of the faculty.
“I’m honestly a little annoyed by the decision,” he said. “No other universities have been doing it.”
Asked if he feels safe in class, Charania said he “tends not to think about it” but “feels safer talking to those who wear a mask outside of class.” He added Waterloo has done a good job communicating public health information and said he’s received many emails and updates from faculty about changing COVID-19 restrictions.
Macfarlane said students’ relative indifference to masking demonstrates Waterloo’s inability to communicate public health advice effectively.
“I think the student perspective reflects the poor communication from officials regarding the pandemic,” he said. “Not everyone is a public policy expert, and the simple fact of transmission has not been properly communicated.”
He encouraged students to remember that masks were in place to protect everyone and that transmission is often higher than expected.
“We don’t just wear masks to protect ourselves,” Macfarlane said. “We wear masks to protect others.”
The Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association did not respond to requests for comment.
Featured image provided by Pamela Smyth/University of Waterloo.
