Holland College and UPEI say vaccination policy will continue until end of semester

Holland College and UPEI will be keeping their mandatory vaccination requirements despite the province discontinuing its use of the Vax Pass Monday.

The schools plan on keeping the two-dose requirement until the end of the semester and willre-evaluate thenwhether it will be continued past the spring.

"If nothing else changes, then we'll say, 'Well, probably now time to lift our mandatory vaccination issues,'" said Holland College president Sandy MacDonald.

"But something could happen between now and then. Eight weeks is a long time."

For now, MacDonald said the policy will allow students to safely gather as they transition back to in-person learning starting Tuesday.

Time 'not right'

"Vaccinated individuals, particularly those who have received a COVID-19 booster, continue to have a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission compared to unvaccinated individuals," the Chief Public Health Office (CPHO) said in a statement to CBC.

At Holland College, vaccination policies were integral to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 back in the fall, MacDonald said.

He also said the policy allowed students the opportunity to co-op or intern in industries servicing vulnerable populations, and in workplaces with their own policies.

However, he said the case for this policy at the school isn't as strong as it once was, with the threat of highly transmissible variants potentially infecting those fully vaccinated.

"We're prepared to lift it when the time is right,but the time is not right today," he said.

UPEI interim president Greg Keefe said there have been no conversations yet about what the university will do in future semesters.

But he said the university takes its guidance from the CPHO and is comfortable with its current policy on vaccination.

"Our motivation is always for the protection of our students, staffand faculty," said Keefe.

Policies under review

While there are no immediate plans for the provincial government to remove the vaccinate-or-test policy, a spokesperson told CBC in an email that it is being reviewed as part of the P.E.I.'s transition plan out of COVID-19.

Some municipalities, including the city of Charlottetown, have also required staff to get at least two doses of vaccine.

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said the city's HR department will likely advise council in the next couple of weeks on whether to keep that requirement in place.

"We're keeping an eye on what the province is doing. We know they've made the decision to drop the Vax Pass," he said.

"Will we follow? We will see in the coming weeks."

Other workers on P.E.I. who are not fully vaccinated have had to take multiple rapid tests each week to stay on the job.

At both Holland College and UPEI, there are currently a small number of staff on leave without pay because of the vaccination policy.