NorQuest College is one of the nine Alberta post-secondary institutions that have announced measures to strengthen vaccination’s role in ensuring the health and safety of those returning to their campuses moving forward.
Starting Nov. 1, students, faculty, staff, and guests at NorQuest will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The mandate is under a new set of measures in line with the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, which places legal obligations on employers, workers, and unions.
Key Takeaways:
- NorQuest College, among other Alberta post-secondary institutions, has announced enhanced safety measures.
- Starting Nov. 1, NorQuest will require everyone entering the campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- NorQuest also provided measures about rapid testing as an interim measure should its members be unable to be vaccinated for valid reasons.
The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act ensures that everyone is protected from workplace hazards such as COVID-19.
As per NorQuest’s Manager for International Recruitment and Student Support, Saurabh Vashisht, many of the university’s graduates work in the frontlines of Alberta’s pandemic response. That’s why they understand that more needs to be done.
NorQuest strengthened its commitment to educating its learners and supporting the health and safety of the community members. In this regard, campus community members and visitors will be required to provide proof of vaccination starting Sept. 20.
The institution is working with Alio Health, an external contractor approved by Alberta Health Services, to collect vaccination status information and determine who will require rapid testing.
NorQuest also noted that while rapid testing will continue as an interim measure until Oct. 31, it will no longer be accepted as an alternative to vaccination. The exemption applies to NorQuesters unable to be fully vaccinated because of a medical reason or other protected grounds under the Alberta Human Rights Act. Instead, they will be reasonably accommodated following applicable workplace accommodation policies.
Aside from NorQuest College, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, MacEwan University, Medicine Hat College, Mount Royal University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology have also announced that they will be making the following enhancements to their campus safety measures.
Implementation dates and details for these new measures will vary from institution to institution according to their specific needs and policies.
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