Last week, many Ontario universities instituted vaccine mandates. This week, major universities in Alberta and Saskatchewan followed suit. Why does Manitoba refuse to act? Our province is falling behind and failing to protect staff, faculty, students, and community. It is clear that the best practices for the reopening of university campuses involve both mandatory vaccination and masks. It is especially crucial in Manitoba where our provincial cabinet has responded poorly to the first three waves of the pandemic.
With the Delta variant spreading and a fourth wave looming, refusal to adopt best practices is irresponsible and borders on negligence. MOFA renews its call for our universities to adopt robust mandatory vaccination and masking policies without delay to protect the safety of students, staff, faculty, and all Manitobans.