What Victoria College and UofT are (or are not) doing to keep you safe this fall semester
On July 1, 2022, the University of Toronto lifted its mask mandate. As students begin to approach the fall semester, not much has changed in terms of UofT’s official COVID-19 strategy. What—if any—precautionary measures will the University be taking to reduce the spread of the coronavirus?
Here is your official pre-Frosh COVID-19 update:
UofT’s approach
On July 28, 2022, Cheryl Regehr, Vice President and Provost, and Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture released an update titled “Monitoring COVID-19 conditions.”
Students choosing to live in residence must complete a primary series of any COVID-19 vaccine and receive a booster shot before their move-in date. Vaccine series recognised by UofT include two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novax, or Covifenz, or a singular dose of Johnson & Johnson. Students who have not received one of these series may have either been vaccinated with a singular dose of an mRNA Health Canada-approved vaccine, two doses of a non-health Canada-approved vaccine, or three doses of a non-Health Canada-approved vaccine. All of these vaccine combinations must be supplemented by an additional booster dose.
Although the University does not require COVID-19 vaccinations for other members of the University community, the update “strongly encourage[s] everyone [in the University community] to remain up-to-date on vaccinations.”
The memo also encourages members of the community to wear medical masks on campus where self-distancing is difficult or impossible. Though masks are no longer mandatory while on campus, the statement highlighted UofT as a “mask-friendly environment.”
Vic’s approach
Victoria College has yet to release an update about the fall term, though their most recent COVID-19 update from July 1 states that they are looking forward to students being on campus. The college is following UofT’s stance on masking by asking members of the community to be respectful of one another’s decisions.
The college has also indicated that most spaces are now allowed to operate at pre-pandemic occupancy levels, though eating spaces will continue to be restricted. Spaces designated for eating will maintain two-metre distancing between seats with signage that states maximum occupancy in the space. Vic is also asking members of the community to avoid lingering in these spaces.
In addition to the signage implementation and distancing requirements in eating areas, Victoria College plans to continue their frequent cleaning of high-traffic spaces and will continue running ventilation systems at full capacity to maximize air quality in indoor spaces. They have also upgraded their air filters.
The pandemic in Ontario
The measures presented by both UofT and Victoria College align with the current suggestions from Ontario’s Ministry of Health, but are slightly more cautious. Case positivity at the end of July is up 13 percent from July 2021’s 0.8 percent positivity rate. Given the instability and unpredictability of case rates and provincial measures, it is currently hard to predict what the fall may actually look like, both on or off campus.
