Last week, the Ontario Government announced further steps to reopen the province. We are reviewing the potential impacts for the University at this time but can confirm that this does not impact York’s Vaccination Mandate, or any of the requirements for community members to be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption before coming to our campuses.   

Our ability to mitigate much of the potential impact of the pandemic continues to rest on the efforts of our entire community supporting and abiding by York’s Vaccination Mandate. We want to thank everyone for the role you continue to play in taking all possible steps to protect yourselves and others.   

As of today, 42,698 York community members have confirmed their vaccination status through YU Screen. Of those who have done so, 96 per cent of staff, 98 per cent of faculty/instructors and 97 per cent of students have been fully vaccinated.   

Compliance with York’s Vaccination Mandate 

As a first step to comply with York’s Vaccination Mandate, all employees of the university were required to have disclosed their vaccination status by October 5, whether you are currently accessing York’s campuses or not. If you have not yet done so, you must disclose your status immediately. If you have done so, we thank you for doing your part to ensure our campuses are safe. All new employees must similarly disclose their status and provide proof of vaccination before the start date of their contract.   

As of October 19, anyone aged 12 years or older who is accessing our campuses must be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption. This applies to anyone who is employed by the university in any capacity. For more details, please read York’s Vaccination Mandate. 

Active steps are now being taken to follow-up with any employees who have not yet disclosed their vaccination status, who may be attending campus while not in compliance with the Vaccination Mandate, or who may be unavailable for required on-campus/in-person responsibilities. If you are an employee who is in these circumstances, in addition to taking steps required by the Mandate, you should contact your faculty designate or manager to discuss this further. 

Why It’s important to Disclose Your Vaccination Status   

Whether you are currently required to be on campus or not, all employees should be available to attend campus when they are asked to do so. Additionally, this is essential for the University to maintain health and safety on our campuses and to provide assurance to all York community members that we are able to verify the vaccination status of all those who are, or may be, attending our campuses.  

We want to thank you all once again for your ongoing commitment to upholding a community of care while on York’s campuses and for continuing to use YU Screen daily to screen for COVID-19 symptoms. Please continue to visit the Better Together site for the latest updates.  

Sincerely,  

Sheila Cote-Meek 
Vice President Equity, People & Culture     

Lisa Philipps
Provost and Vice President Academic