British Columbia is reintroducing a public health order requiring people to wear masks in all indoor public spaces starting Wednesday to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As of Aug 25, masks will be mandatory in all indoor public spaces for people 12+, to help slow COVID-19 transmission and help prepare for the fall respiratory illness season. This applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Learn more: https://t.co/f1zpTldcgs #CovidBC pic.twitter.com/SozFt84WNU
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 24, 2021
The order will also extend to students in Grade 4 and up at the start of the school year.
✅ Cleaning and disinfecting will continue daily.
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 24, 2021
✅ Increased ventilation and improvements in schools.
✅ Daily health checks are required. Feeling sick? Stay home.
✅ Students will be able to resume sports, music, and other extracurricular activities.#CovidBC (2/3)
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the order will be reassessed in mid-October when the province fully implements a card showing proof of immunization for those entering restaurants, theatres and events.
Join Jennifer Whiteside, Min. of Education; Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training; and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer; on health and safety measures for K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions for 2021-2022. https://t.co/LAxi2bP3zv
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 24, 2021
Henry says about 75 per cent of B.C. residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but that number needs to be higher as the Delta variant drives up case counts, putting those who are unvaccinated at greater risk of contracting the virus.
TransLink confirms transit users will be required to wear masks under the new order starting tomorrow.
Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says vaccines have made it possible for students to look forward to the resumption of safe in-person, full-time learning and extracurricular activities.
Post-secondary students living on campus will have to be vaccinated, and Henry says colleges and universities have the option of requiring faculty and staff to be immunized.
When post-secondary students and staff come back together for in-person learning this fall, here's what they can expect:
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 24, 2021
✅Masks are mandatory in all indoor public areas on campus, including lobbies, hallways, stairwells, elevators, classrooms, labs.#CovidBC (1/3) pic.twitter.com/SWUceNn3Gd
Minister Whiteside encouraged eligible students to get vaccinated, saying only 57 per cent of youth between 12 and 17 are fully immunized.
Join Jennifer Whiteside, Min. of Education; Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training; and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer; on health and safety measures for K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions for 2021-2022. https://t.co/LAxi2bP3zv
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 24, 2021
Health sciences students will need to be vaccinated because they do practicums and training in health-care settings including long-term care facilities where staff must be immunized to protect vulnerable residents, she said.
Mandatory vaccination will not be required of teachers because the overall risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools is very low, and vaccination rates have climbed significantly in recent months, Henry said.
"We know that even a 10 per cent increase per age group makes a big difference in blunting the impact of even the Delta variant that we're seeing being transmitted right now."
However, BC Teachers' Federation president Teri Mooring said mandatory vaccination would be an important measure to keep everyone safe.
"We are quite concerned about the low vaccination rates among the 12-to-17-year-olds," she said. "That 57 per cent is lagging behind quite significantly the rest of the public."
The union has previously called for vaccination clinics at schools, and Mooring said that's all the more important now due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
She questioned why kindergarten-to-Grade 3 students are not required to wear masks, saying that would put pressure on teachers to encourage students to use the face coverings.
On mandatory vaccines, the BCTF would not oppose them for #bced. We would need to see details about protection of privacy and accommodations for workers with exemptions. In the meantime, we need to focus on masks for all, ventilation and distancing. #bcpoli
— BCTF (@bctf) August 24, 2021
"It doesn't seem like these plans that were announced today are based on the changing factors with the Delta variant. It seems there was a lot of reference to schools from last year when it was COVID-19, the original virus," Mooring said in an interview on Tuesday.
Michael Byers, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said the lack of a vaccine mandate for post-secondary students means he won't be teaching large groups of students.
"I have informed my department head that I will not teach 100 students in a lecture room without a vaccine mandate," he said in a tweet directed at Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
Byers declined a request for an interview.
Unlike in B.C., Alberta announced earlier this month that COVID-19 vaccines will be available through temporary clinics in schools for students in Grades 7 to 12 as well as teachers and staff.
However, Alberta will not be requiring post-secondary institutions to mandate vaccines on campus, including for students living in residence, saying any such measures would be at the discretion of each institution.
The Education Ministry in Ontario said it will announce an immunization disclosure policy for all school employees and staff at licensed daycare settings for the start of the school year and that rapid testing will be done for those who are not immunized.
"Further details and guidance will be provided to support school boards in implementing the proposed policy, testing approach and reporting expectations for early fall 2021," it said in a statement.
Ontario's chief medical health officer has announced a vaccine mandate for all post-secondary students, faculty and staff, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities said.
