U of L requiring rapid testing for unvaccinated staff and students
By Tim Kalinowski on August 18, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
The University of Lethbridge will require all those coming to campus this fall to wear masks in all indoor public spaces and to undergo regular rapid COVID testing if not fully vaccinated.
According to the university, those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempt from this testing requirement. The rapid testing will also be applied to those who prefer not to disclose their vaccine status.
“Students, faculty, and staff who are not fully vaccinated, and those who would prefer not to disclose their vaccine status, will need to regularly complete a rapid screening test and receive a negative result before they participate in in-person activities,” confirms the U of L in a joint statement released with the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary on Tuesday.
“Any individual who cannot be tested or vaccinated based on medical or other protected grounds recognized by the Alberta Human Rights Act can request an accommodation.”
The U of L goes on to encourage those who have not yet received their vaccines to do so.
“Everyone is urged to become fully vaccinated as soon as possible if they want to be able to attend campus without having to complete ongoing rapid testing throughout the term,” it states.
Those attending campus in person will also be required to wear masks in all public indoor spaces with the exceptions of those working alone in private offices, those working outdoors if there is a minimum of two metres between people, those meeting indoors when there is a minimum of two metres between people, those working alone in a shared space, those working in a cubicle with plexiglass, wall, or other approved barrier between people and when not providing services to anyone, and in a classroom where there is a minimum of two metres between instructor or among students.
Students, faculty and staff will also be required to stay home and isolate for 10 days if they display any potential COVID-19 symptoms, unless they can show they have received a negative result on a COVID test before that 10-day period ends.
“As we finalize our plans for the Fall 2021 semester,” says U of L Vice-Chancellor and President Mike Mahon, “the health and safety of our campus communities remains paramount. Implementing these measures at Alberta’s research universities allows us to collectively return to in-person formats that minimizes the risk for our students, faculty, staff and external partners as well as the risk of having to pivot away from the face-to-face environment we have been waiting for.”
Alberta continues to record a spike in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. On Tuesday, another 407 infections brought the province’s active case count to 5,627. There were 176 Albertans in hospital, including 44 in intensive care.
The joint statement from the universities said the policies will maximize safety for in-person teaching and learning.
A growing number of Canadian universities are requiring students and staff to be fully vaccinated to attend campus, including the University of Ottawa, University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina and University of Toronto.
“These expanded measures are a direct response to shifting COVID-19 conditions. Our health, law and public policy experts have been tracking the rise of cases and emergence of the Delta variant, providing us with data-driven approaches,” Ed McCauley, president of the University of Calgary, said in the statement.
“By working together with Alberta’s other research-intensive universities, we will continue to monitor and take the measures necessary to keep our community safe.”
-with files from The Canadian Press
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