Mask mandate returns to University of Waterloo classrooms
CBC News | Posted: November 8, 2022 5:16 PM | Last Updated: November 8, 2022
Mask rule to minimize disruptions during exams, said university
Students and faculty at the University of Waterloo will now need to wear a mask in classrooms as the school introduces the requirement for indoor academic activities for the rest of the term.
Starting Wednesday, students and staff will be required to wear a mask during lectures, seminars, teaching labs, tests and exams, and "all other forms of academic instruction wherever it happens indoors," said the school.
Students may also be required to wear a mask when meeting with teaching assistants (TA) or instructors, according to the university.
The school said it's introducing mask measures in an effort to minimize disruptions during exams at the end of the fall term.
"Recently, we have seen increases in local COVID-19 hospitalizations, and there are emerging trends from test positivity and wastewater that suggest increasing levels of COVID in the community now and in the near future," the school said on its website.
"These trends mean we need to act now to minimize disruption to the end of term exam season and to protect the most vulnerable people in our community."
Mixed feelings
News of the mask mandate has left students with mixed feelings.
Rohini Prakash, a TA and masters student in the department of biology, agrees with the school's mask requirement.
"I think it's better because this is how we can control the spread and I know it's uncomfortable, but it's better than having COVID and making new strains," Prakash said.
Debora Pushparajah, a masters student in the School of Pharmacy, said she's not sure if the new requirements will make a difference.
"I think with or without the masks, it's not too much of a difference especially because students are always close together and doing stuff together," she said.
Prakash and Pushparajah say wearing a mask again will be an adjustment.
"The mask might help a little bit, but it's confusing for us to [know] where to wear a mask and where not to wear a mask," Prakash said.
Masks can be removed
The school said staff will be allowed to remove their masks when instructing, as long as they are physically distanced from others. Students making presentations will be allowed to temporarily remove their masks.
Masking requirements won't apply to areas like food courts or student residences, but the school is encouraging everyone to consider wearing a mask in all indoor settings.
University of Waterloo adds that the school is not reintroducing other public health measures and physical distancing is not required.
Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Kieran Moore, has said he will make a decision on more wide-spread mask mandates in the coming weeks. In the meantime, local public health officials are reminding people masks may be unpopular but they are the best protection against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
"I know that people don't like wearing masks. I don't like wearing them either," Dr. Nicole Mercer, medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, told CBC News.
"They do work. Think about the last two years, how many people had coughs or colds or even the flu. So if you don't want to get sick: Wear a mask, especially when you're out in public."
Mask requirements at other schools
Wilfrid Laurier University has had similar requirements since the start of the fall semester, a spokesperson told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.
Conestoga College said on its website the school paused masking requirements at all campus locations, but it encourages students to consider wearing a mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible.
The University of Guelph has mask requirements for some spaces, including student study areas.