The province is officially moving into Step 2 of its Roadmap to Reopen today. This week as well, all Ontarians aged 18 years and up are eligible to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is very exciting news for the York community, as it means that that all who are able will have access to first and second doses before a return to campus in September.

We are thrilled to announce that there will be another pop-up vaccine clinic on the Keele Campus on Tuesday, July 6 and Thursday, July 8 from 12-6pm. Our partners at Humber River Hospital will be administering the Pfizer vaccine and more details, including time and eligibility criteria (if applicable), will be shared with the York community in the coming days.

A preliminary review of the impacts of the Province’s Step 2 for York suggests that there are no major impacts posed to the University’s operations. The Summer Term will continue to be delivered for the most part remotely as planned, with the following in place:

• While gathering limitations now allow up to 50 people indoors for in-person learning, in-person instruction will continue to abide by existing gathering limitations (10-person maximum), with an exception for a maximum of 50 persons allowed for in-person instruction in the School of Nursing.
• All indoor gatherings must still abide by 2-metre physical distancing, masking/face covering requirements and/or the proper use of PPE; 
• Students filming outdoors or undertaking other activities outdoors must abide by the 25-person outdoor gathering limit;
• In-person research involving human participants continues to be suspended at this time; and
• If you do need to come to campus, please request access through the Campus Access system or have pre-existing approval to access campus spaces. Completion of daily screening is also part of this process.

We continue to await guidance from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) on what will and will not be permitted for the Fall 2021 term and anticipate that this information will be shared with Ontario’s post-secondary sector in early July. As soon as this information is available, we will be sure to update you on any impacts this may pose for the York community.

In the coming weeks, more information will be shared via weekly Wellness Wednesday Return to Campus Special Issues and on the Better Together website. Please stay tuned for updates on our plans for a safe return to campus this fall.

Sincerely,

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic

Amir Asif
Vice-President, Research & Innovation