Less than 24 hours after releasing the plan for their fall semester, the Université de Moncton is now making it mandatory for students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated.
The requirement is expected to begin on October 15. Those without two doses of a vaccine by the target date will be subject to frequent rapid tests.
“The vast majority of people currently infected with COVID-19 in the province are those who are not fully vaccinated. That’s proof that vaccination works. It is therefore to protect the members of our university community, as well as the children, seniors and immunosuppressed people we all interact with, that we must participate in the collective effort to achieve a very high vaccination rate,” saidDr. Denis Prud’homme, President of the Université de Moncton.
On Thursday, the Université de Moncton announced that it will begin the 2021 Fall semester in a transition period, following directives from New Brunswick Public Health.
Life will return to the university on September 7, with in-person classes at all three campuses. However, the community will be required to wear a mask in common areas and in classrooms for academic courses.
Students enrolled in a practical course will have a specific operational plan that includes other measures.
These measures will end at the Shippagan and Edmundston campuses on September 24.
Due to the active case count in Zone 1, the Moncton region, the Moncton campus will transition on October 15 unless the situation worsens. As of Thursday, August 19, there are 94 active cases of COVID-19 in Zone 1.
“We are following the pandemic situation closely and we always have a special committee of our institution’s senior management in place to follow developments and recommendations from Public Health,” said Prud’homme.
After a campus finishes the transition period, students, faculty and staff will still be subject to several health measures.
Université de Moncton says the following will be in place for the entire fall semester.
– space use at only 50% capacity
– a physical distance of one metre between individuals in the space
-Students will have one seat for each course and must only use that seat
-Hand sanitization is mandatory before entering all buildings
