Some students at Maritime universities will need to mask up in class and labs
Halifax's Dalhousie University is the latest post-secondary institution to announce they will require masks to be worn in all indoor classrooms and instructional spaces when students return in September.
The reaction among students is mixed and not everybody is on board with the decision.
"To some degree, I see it as a setback,” said Dalhousie student Sam Peapell. “Me and most of my friends thought we were passed that, but we're coming back to it."
Peapell says he understands it's about limiting the spread of COVID-19 and hopes it's a temporary measure.
“The majority of my university life has been spent under a pandemic,” said Peapell. “And I've kind of gotten used to the whole no mask thing but maybe it will protect people better and keep cases lower. I guess we’ll see.”
International student Kamran Awaisi says there’s a good reason for going back to masks. He continues to see infections among friends in his social circle.
"I know two, three or more people in Halifax that got COVID-19,” said Awaisi, a computer science student at Dalhousie. “So I think bringing the masks back in the fall is really a good approach to preventing the spread of COVID-19."
Staff at Mount Saint Vincent University have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and have also decided to keep a mask mandate in place for classes and labs this fall semester.
"We just felt it was a safe and good way to move forward come September,” said Maxine Brewer, a registered nurse and the health and wellness manager at MSVU. “Again, it's very evolving, so we might be lucky enough to say one day that we might actually not be wearing masks anymore, but it's something that we will be looking at on a very regular basis."
South of the border, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rolled back its COVID-19 protocols ahead of the school year, including lifting the requirement to quarantine if deemed a close contact of someone infected and dropping social distancing.
Most schools across the U.S. have made masks optional.
Although it's not mandatory, Canada’s public health agency continues to recommend wearing masks while indoors in public places.
“I recommend that people who are going to be congregating together in public places for long periods of time, i.e. an hour at least at a time, should be wearing their masks inside,” said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease expert located in Halifax.
Putting masking policies in place for lecture halls and labs is a good policy, said Barrett.
“If people don’t have the right message right now and have to be in those spaces, I think it behooves organizations to help people make the right choice by making it a policy,” said Barrett.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.