Some Ontario Universities Are Lifting Their COVID-19 Mandates & Here's When It'll Happen

On top of allowing students to have in-person graduations this year, some Ontario universities are making the call to lift the mask and vaccine mandates that they've had in place throughout the pandemic.

As of May 1, which is at the end of the winter term for post-secondary students, schools including Laurier, McMaster, Guelph and the University of Toronto have said they will be putting a "pause" on their COVID-19 mask and vaccine requirements.

The University of Waterloo, Ryerson, Queen's, Carleton and the University of Ottawa also announced that they would be "suspending" mandatory masks and proof of vaccination requirements on their campuses as of the same date.

"An update for our community: As of May 1, McMaster is pausing the vaccination policy and mask requirements. This aligns with government guidelines and is possible because of the respect you have all shown for each other’s safety, so thank you," McMaster tweeted to its students.

Colleges including George Brown and Humber are also following in their footsteps and expressed they'd be lifting COVID-19-related requirements come May 1 and May 2, respectively.

Some schools, including York and Western, have yet to announce their plans regarding COVID-19 restrictions in the summer.

The government of Ontario declared face coverings and vaccine policy mandates to be a thing of the past in most public settings just a few weeks ago, although some have voiced concerns over mandates being gone too soon.

As of April 27, masking requirements will be lifted at all remaining public settings, like public transit and long-term care homes.

On top of lifting these requirements, some Ontario universities like Ryerson, Western, and UofT shared that they will be bringing in-person convocations back this year.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.