Latest COVID-19 Recovery updates

Effective May 4: Guidelines for Summer Term

Beginning on May 4 and effective for the duration of the Summer Term, UM will no longer require staff, students or visitors coming to our campus to have proof of vaccination. Masks, however, will continue to be mandatory in indoor spaces.

As of May 4, KN95 masks are highly recommended, but 3-ply medical masks (minimum ASTM Grade 2) will also be acceptable. Regardless of the mask type, please ensure your mask is fitted properly to maintain maximum effectiveness.

Beginning May 2, distribution sites for both types of masks are open in:

• Machray Hall (Fort Garry campus)
• UMSU University Centre (Fort Garry campus)
• Brodie Centre (Bannatyne campus)

These sites will remain open for two weeks, after which employees/faculty can pick up masks from their unit/faculty and students, from their faculty.

The majority of classes will be held in-person in Summer Term, but UM will continue to offer an important complement of Distance Education courses.

Continued health and safety protocols

The Province of Manitoba’s public health order requiring masks in public places ended on March 15 (except in health-care facilities), as well as the public health order for isolation of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The university has carefully considered its health and safety protocols, and our current protocols continue to apply including mask requirements as noted above.

We strongly advise you to follow UM’s existing self-isolation protocols. Please continue to report positive COVID-19 cases on our campuses to help track COVID-19 at UM.

Most importantly, please stay home when you are sick. Employee sick time or remote work arrangements (where possible) can be used for self-isolation – please connect with your supervisor to make required arrangements. Students should work directly with instructors to seek reasonable accommodation.

Please refer to UM’s Health and Safety Protocols page for other important information.

Return to in-person activity

In person activity, including events, have resumed on campus with no approvals required for activities involving 100 people or less, where alcohol is not served. All activities must follow UM’s health and safety protocols.

For activities of 100 people or more, or where alcohol is served:

• Faculty/Unit-based events will require approval from the dean or unit head.
• Student-led activities on and off campus will require approval from the Vice-Provost (Students), Laurie Schnarr.
• All other activities will require an in-person activity request form to be submitted to the COVID Recovery Steering committee at crsc [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.

Reporting illness

If you are not feeling well, stay at home or immediately go home.

Process charts are available on the COVID health and safety page for those who are feeling unwell or are close contacts.

Close contacts are people who have shared space with a COVID-positive person during their period of communicability.  Specifically, these are people who were within two metres/six feet of a COVID-positive individual for a total of 10 minutes over a 24-hour period.  

If you are symptomatic or test positive for COVID-19 and need to self-isolate:

• Students enrolled in an in-person course should immediately contact their instructor to make arrangements for extensions, deferrals or make-up assignments without academic penalty. The missed academic work form can be used to help communicate with your instructor.
• Faculty and instructors teaching in-person should contact their dean or department head to make alternate arrangements for the course instruction.
• Staff working on campus should contact their supervisor to discuss their absence from work or if possible, make remote work arrangements.

COVID-19 REPORTING FORM AND CAMPUS EXPOSURE LIST

A COVID-19 Case Reporting Form is available on the COVID website. Please complete the form to report a positive COVID case on a UM campus, identified by either PCR or Rapid Antigen tests.

In the case of exposure on a UM campus, the university will publish a daily notice of the date(s)/time(s)/location(s) an exposure may have occurred. Please check the Health and Safety Protocols page regularly.

UM’s Health and Safety Protocols page is regularly updated with everything you need to know about masking, testing and other important information.

BOOK YOUR COVID-19 BOOSTER

All adults (age 18+) can receive a booster shot (third dose) of a COVID-19 vaccine and it is strongly recommended to receive your booster as soon as you are eligible. Boosters are available at any location that offers the COVID-19 vaccine. A six-month timeframe between second and third doses continues to be recommended for most Manitobans. A shorter timeline is recommended for some groups. Visit the Province of Manitoba website for eligibility criteria and information on where to book a vaccine.

University Health Service is offering both Pfizer and Moderna boosters. Call 204-474-8411 to book an appointment.

For more information about vaccines and UM’s vaccine requirement, please visit our Vaccine Information page.

HVAC TESTING AT UM

The University of Manitoba has engaged environmental testing consultants Pinchin Ltd to test the performance of the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems that serve its facilities. These systems are designed to meet or exceed applicable ASHRAE standards for indoor air quality.