Dalhousie University to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results for students and staff

HALIFAX -

The Maritime's largest university will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status or negative test results for any students or staff on campus this September.

In a release issued Wednesday morning, Dalhousie University says all students, faculty and staff accessing university campuses this fall will be asked to provide proof of their vaccination status.

Those who are not fully vaccinated, or choose not to provide proof of vaccination, will have to undergo COVID-19 testing twice a week and will be required to provide proof that the testing has taken place.

The requirement will also apply to University of King’s College students and other members of the King’s community on Dalhousie’s campuses.

The university says that this decision was made after a survey of the community, which received more than 10,000 responses from students, faculty and staff.

“We continue to have great confidence in vaccination rates among our Dal community; preliminary results of our vaccine survey show that more than 95% of respondents are or plan to be fully vaccinated this fall,” says the release attributed to Frank Harvey, Dalhousie Provost and Vice-President Academic.

 

“However, several factors make these extra measures prudent at this time. The first is the more-infectious Delta variant and the emerging fourth wave across North America — largely among un- or under-vaccinated individuals. The second is that details of final phase of Nova Scotia’s re-opening plan have now been shared, in which most public health restrictions (excepting travel) will be lifted as we move into “living with COVID” in an endemic rather than pandemic model. This increases our responsibility to help protect less-vaccinated individuals and prevent outbreaks and breakthrough cases.”

The school also says masks will continue to be used on campus through September, and may be extended further into the fall term.

Dalhousie says they will work to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility concerns related to both vaccination and testing are addressed, and that all personal information, including vaccination status, will be handled in compliance with appropriate privacy legislation.

Nova Scotia Public Health officials have confirmed that universities and colleges in the province will be able to make their own decisions regarding vaccine requirements.

Dalhousie is the latest of Nova Scotia's post-secondary schools to announce a proof of vaccination policy, following the Nova Scotia Community College, Mount Saint Vincent and Saint Mary's University.