President's message on mask mandate pause and in-person fall term
We can all be proud that our USask community continues to respond to the many challenges posed by this global pandemic and to deliver effectively on our teaching, research, and outreach missions.
Over the summer, as the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to diminish, we will be adjusting our current mask mandate that is in place until the end of June. Beginning July 4, 2022 and continuing until August 29, 2022, the university will pause this mandate and move to a mask-friendly environment.
Masks will not be mandatory indoors at that time, but they will still be highly recommended. Masking matters, and USask recognizes the importance of masking in preventing transmission of airborne illnesses such as COVID-19, cold and flu. Masking, along with being fully vaccinated and boosted, is the surest way to protect ourselves and our campus community from COVID-19 and its variants.
We are also planning for what the fall term will look like. Starting in September, USask is committed to in-person teaching, learning, and services to safely and thoughtfully revitalize our vibrant campus community.
As the Post-Pandemic Shift Project has highlighted, we do not know when the pandemic will be fully behind us, but we do know that we will make changes to how we work because of it. We look forward to rebuilding connections back on campus. However, we will not lose sight of the lessons we have learned when we shifted to remote work and other adaptations during the pandemic.
The health and safety of our campus and broader communities remains a priority and will guide all decisions related to a fall term return.
Over the summer, the Pandemic Response and Recovery Team (PRT) will continue its work. It will keep a close watch on USask case numbers and service disruptions, variant emergence, wastewater viral load, and public health data and recommendations to determine the level of health and safety measures necessary to keep the campus and broader community safe. These indicators will determine if the mask mandate is resumed for fall term or sooner.
An update on planning and other potential COVID-19 measures for fall term will be provided by August 22. Until then, I hope you have an enjoyable summer and find the time to relax with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Peter Stoicheff
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Saskatchewan