Nine Alberta universities, colleges to require COVID-19 vaccinations

Nine Alberta universities and colleges will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students and staff, removing rapid testing as an alternative for attendance.

According to a news release, campus community members and visitors are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend campuses. They will also be required to provide proof of vaccination.

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Rapid testing will no longer be accepted as an alternative to vaccination, except for campus community members who cannot be vaccinated based on medical or other protected grounds outlined in the Alberta Human Rights Act.

The nine post-secondary institutions are:

• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• University of Lethbridge
• MacEwan University
• Medicine Hat College
• Mount Royal University
• NAIT
• SAIT
• NorQuest College

Implementation dates and details for these new measures will vary from institution to institution according to their specific needs and policies, according to the release.

The switch in policy comes after many universities and colleges in the province implemented proof of vaccination or mandatory rapid testing measures.

On Friday, Alberta reported 1,473 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of active cases across the province above 16,000.