University of Ottawa Extends Mask Mandate on Campus Until End of May

The University of Ottawa is extending its mandatory masking requirement until May 31st, 2022, as the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario continues to increase.

“To ensure the safety of those on campus, we have decided to extend our current mandatory masking policy until the end of May, at which time we will reassess,” uOttawa notes while announcing changes.

The university said that it is continuing to monitor the sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and will seek professional advice to protect the health and safety of its community members, Erudera reports.

In addition to mask use, the university has strongly encouraged its community members to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and also get the booster once they become eligible in order to protect themselves and others.

According to the current guidelines, students are required to wear masks at all times, while instructors and other teaching personnel must use masks at all times except when physical distancing of 2 meters or more can be maintained.

As per outdoors activities, uOttawa recommends masks if physical distancing can’t be maintained at all times.

Under the current COVID-19 guidelines, uOttawa employees, professors, and student groups can organize events on campus if they comply with the specific guidelines.

The university said that students will be informed about any exceptions and details directly by their faculty, department, or school as needed.

The University of Ottawa is one of the largest universities in Canada and the largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world. It was established in 1848 and today enrolls 42,000 students, employs 5,000 staff, and has 230,000 alumni.

Similar to uOttawa, other universities in Canada are extending mask mandates, including the University of British Columbia (UBC), which has recently announced that it will continue to ask students and employees to wear masks until June 30, 2022.

UBC extended its mask mandate after warnings that British Columbia will enter the sixth pandemic wave, the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, and further Omicron variants.

At York University, masks are also mandatory in all indoor spaces, which include, but are not limited to, classrooms, offices, hallways, elevators, meeting rooms, other areas in all residences, etc.

“Anyone entering an indoor space on any York University property, including all campuses, work sites and satellite offices, must wear a mask  that covers their mouth, nose , and chin completely,” York University says.

On the other hand, the University of Victoria rejected the recommendation of its senate to require masks indoors until the end of the semester. Nevertheless, the university also encouraged members of the community to continue wearing masks.