B.C. unveils guidelines for fall return to campus

Students, faculty and staff at B.C.’s colleges and universities – including Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and UBC Okanagan – are supported to come back together for in-person learning this fall.

The Return-to-Campus is designed to parallel B.C.’s four-step restart plan. The transition period between Step Three – which took effect July 1 – and the beginning of September is a crucial time, as post-secondary institutions ramp up operations and welcome back faculty, staff and students.

The guidelines highlight the importance of public health measures, such as daily health checks and hand hygiene, as well as classroom logistics and on-campus student housing and dining services. Access to mental health supports for students, faculty and staff, Indigenous gathering places and accommodations for on campus-services are also outlined to support the transition.

“We have made excellent progress with our provincial immunization program in B.C. That, along with declining case counts and low hospitalization rates, means we can gradually and safely move ahead with our restart plan,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. “We will continue to carefully monitor any transmission episodes on campuses, just as we do with influenza or other respiratory illnesses this fall, to keep students, faculty and staff safe. This is something we have shown we can successfully manage in B.C.”

Post-secondary institutions will no longer be required to have a COVID-19 safety plan. Instead, institutions are developing communicable disease plans to reduce the risk of all respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

“The collaboration between research universities throughout COVID-19 has been critical to the student experience during the pandemic,” TRU President and Vice-Chancellor Brett Fairbairn said.

The B.C. government’s goal for the fall is to transition from highly prescriptive COVID-19 specific orders and protocols back to normal institutional policies and guidance on occupational health and safety.