Seneca College said it will drop its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy by the end of the year.
The last day for the policy will be on Dec. 31. As of Jan. 1, 2023, students, employees, contractors and visitors will no longer be required to be vaccinated to enter Seneca’s campuses or building, the school said.
“I am proud that Seneca was a leader across Canada with our comprehensive vaccine policy,” Seneca’s president David Agnew said. “I am proud that we have put the health and safety of the Seneca community first throughout the pandemic.”
Agnew said now that “those measures are gone,” referring to previous government-mandated public health measures, the school is unable to “independently and accurately verify vaccination status.”
He also noted that governments have said the level of protection against COVID-19 has become a “personal choice.”
Although mandatory vaccination will expire by the end of 2022, Agnew said the current mask mandate will continue until further notice.
“The virus continues to circulate widely in the community and flu season is upon us. Getting vaccinated remains the best way to avoid serious illness or worse,” Agnew said.
The announcement comes a month after Ontario’s Superior Court dismissed an application by two unvaccinated students asking the court to block Seneca from enforcing its policy.
— With files from The Canadian Press