The ringing in of 2022 was a bittersweet introduction as Ontario had re-introduced stern province-wide restrictions that lasted three and a half weeks until January 31. The province then outlined a three step process to reopening that would see restrictions continue to lift over the course of three-week intervals.
Per the Government of Ontario’s website, the province showed further signs of improvement as more restrictions were lifted on February 17. Capacity limits increased both indoors and outdoors, while hospitalizations and ICU capacities have steadily continued to go down. Around the same time, the province announced that it would be vacating the proof of vaccination mandate.
The reason for ditching vaccine passports boils down to the science of how effective two doses really are against the virus, especially amidst the recent impact the Omicron variant has had on the world. Dr. Peter Jüni, the head of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, told CBC that the rationale for instituting a two-dose requirement was diminishing, saying “We don’t want just to maintain certificates to keep a sense of security, which is not really supported by science.”
In York’s case, not much is looking to change.
York’s Deputy Spokesperson, Yanni Dagonas, shares a statement put out by the university that was released on February 17. In the statement, it reveals that York will continue to adhere to guidelines issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. The university’s vaccine mandate will remain in place for all community members for the rest of the 2022 winter term, along with the usage of YU Screen, masking, enhanced cleaning protocols, and the monitoring of case counts.
Students have more than just the pandemic to worry about this term as the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) have voted in favour of going on strike. The return to in-person classes have also put a great deal of stress on York’s community, particularly international students.
Natasha Thangkhiew is a second-year theatre student whose journey back to in-campus learning involved a flight from India to France, a three-day quarantine in France, then a flight to Toronto. At the time, flights were banned to and from India due to the impact of the Delta variant.
“That automatically adds so much travel expenses on my family that York was not willing to compensate me in any way, and now there’s talks of strikes. I came here to get an education and if there are no classes, I’ll just be paying for food and high rent.”
As previously mentioned, despite the province’s removal of vaccine passports, York will still be mandating that students are double vaccinated. The idea of mandating boosters, however, has not been discussed. Thangkhiew believes that boosters are beneficial as she is someone who lives with older and more vulnerable parents.
“I believe the third booster should be mandatory because it makes your symptoms very mild. I know millions of people in my country who would love to have that access, but they don’t. So, taking advantage of the resources and privileges just makes sense.”
Thangkhiew was asked if she felt that the passports were impractical given the short tenure they had. She feels they “weren’t impractical, but they also weren’t enforced the right way.
“I personally know people who got fake ones and no one checked or cared. There are many places that don’t check and this was even at times when restrictions were supposedly very strict. I think they were just sort of a show.”
Prior to the lifting of restrictions that came into effect on March 1, Premier Doug Ford revealed on Monday that Ontario is not “far away” from removing the mask mandate altogether and hinted during a conference that it could be lifted during the third week of March.
