Western University will continue to enforce masking requirements until the end of the fall term.
A letter from Florentine Strzelczyk, the University’s academic provost and vice-president, to students and staff says “medical-grade (ASTM level 3) masks will still be required indoors in instructional spaces such as classrooms, labs, and seminar rooms” until Dec. 23.
However, she wrote that leaders of research labs may make their own decisions regarding masking “based on their specific lab environments.”
“This decision is driven by our desire to protect the in-person learning environment,” Strzelcyk’s statement says. “We also want individuals who are at a greater risk to remain safe in class.”
The decision follows the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s rejection of a challenge by five Western University students to the institution’s COVID-19 booster vaccine mandate.
On Aug. 22, Western introduced its updated COVID-19 policy, which requires all attendees to have received at least one booster shot and continues mandatory masking.
Additionally, before the beginning of the school year, Fanshawe College announced that the institution would be lifting its mandatory masking and vaccine policies as students returned to in-person learning for the fall semester.
Western’s controversial decision prompted mixed reactions from students, while the union representing the institution’s faculty association praised the move.
However, Western has extended the booster deadline to Jan. 9, 2023, from Oct. 1. This came in response to Health Canada’s approval expanding eligibility for the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 and older.
More information about Western’s updated COVID-19 policy is available on Western University’s website.
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