Coinciding with the end of the winter 2022 semester, the University of Guelph has announced sweeping changes to its COVID-19 on-campus policies.
On Tuesday, the university updated its vaccination policy and masking policy with both set to “pause” on May 1.
The U of G consulted with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, as well as other universities in the region before the decision was made.
“As well, the decision was reached following discussions with regional universities; Waterloo and Laurier also announced the May 1 pausing of mask and vaccine mandates today,” said Lori Bona Hunt, director of integrated communications at the U of G.
Bona Hunt said the "unpausing" of these measures would follow much like what prompted this recent decision, it would be based on a combination of things, including public health conditions; guidance and directives from our local, provincial, and national public health agencies; government actions and directives; discussions with the sector and with regional universities.
Many post-secondary institutions in Ontario, including the U of G, opted into keeping mask mandate after the provincial mandate expired on Monday.
Bona Hunt said the mask mandate continues to be in place and enforced until May 1 and compliance remains high on campus.
“Throughout the pandemic, the University of Guelph leadership team has consulted with public health and sector partners and our internal experts to inform our response to COVID-19,” reads a statement from the U of G. “In some instances, this has meant developing our own measures that go beyond provincial requirements to ensure we’re supporting safe environments for our students, faculty and staff. Such was the case with the decision to maintain U of G’s mask requirement and vaccination policy until the end of the winter semester, a period that extends past the Ontario government’s March 21 lifting of these measures.”
The U of G vaccination policy went into effect on Sept. 7, 2021, and was originally slated to last until September of 2022.
Proof of vaccination will not be required to access U of G spaces as of May 1.
On Feb. 16 the U of G reiterated this vaccination policy length when it posted an update on its response to COVID-19 saying “U of G’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy is in effect until at least September 2022.”
Shortly after posting the update, the U of G changed their vaccination policy, saying it will end when the winter semester concludes.
Students will be eligible for in-person learning regardless of their vaccination status.
In addition, rapid testing requirements for those with vaccine exemptions will end, and employees on unpaid leave will be required to speak to their superiors on an individual level.