The university made the announcement Wednesday, as post-secondary schools across the country finalize their fall plans. Photo credit: McMaster University/Daily News
McMaster University students and staff need not be triple-vaccinated against COVID-19 nor don masks in most on-campus settings when classes resume for the fall semester next month.
The Hamilton post-secondary school made the announcement that all pandemic-related protocols will remain paused on Wednesday of this week, only two days after nearby Western University revealed booster shots and masks would be required to attend class on the London campus.
“In just a few weeks, we’ll be starting a new academic year — one marked by the first fully in-person Welcome Week and regular move-in to residences since the start of the pandemic. We can’t wait to see campus full of activity once again,” wrote President and Vice-Chancellor David Farrar and Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Susan Tighe in a joint letter to the McMaster community.
When making its decision, the university’s administration reportedly consulted public health, the Ontario government, and McMaster’s own experts in virology and according to Farrar and Tighe, “All have indicated that the right course given the current circumstances is to continue to pause the vaccine mandate and to strongly encourage masking.”
“We are finding balance in how we manage the ongoing COVID challenge.”
At last count, only 14 of 83 universities across the country surveyed by The Canadian Press will require students and staff to wear masks on campus this fall.
Though the University of Toronto will require a booster shot to stay in residence, the aforementioned Western University remains the only school in Canada to maintain a blanket (and enhanced) vaccination mandate simply to attend class.
McMaster paused its vaccination mandate on May 1, 2022. It then paused mandatory masking a month later on June 1.
The city’s other public post-secondary institute, Mohawk College, will also maintain its suspension of all masking and vaccination policies this fall.
