Three Years Later: Covid On Campus

The start of the winter term in 2023 will mark three years since the outbreak of Covid-19, quarantine and mask mandates. While many aspects of quotidian life have returned to pre-pandemic norms, masks in StFX classrooms haven’t. In fact, they’re still required inside all classrooms and educational facilities and are recommended inside residences.

While Covid may feel over with no online school, bars and restaurants open and parties filled with lots of people, it’s not disappeared entirely. The province reported an average of 79 PCR-positive cases a day and 238 current hospitalizations on the 17th of November.

With ICU beds filling up quickly in provinces like Ontario and Quebec, calls for more mask and vaccine mandates are ramping up. While Nova Scotia has not yet seen significant a surge in respiratory illness, the possibility of a new wave over the winter months is worth mentioning. And with the recent memory of the disastrous X-Ring ceremony last year, where the StFX and the Student Union were both fined by the Province for flouting Public Safety regulations in the not-so-distant past, perhaps the university is better off safe than sorry. Conversely, StFX has relaxed many of its covid measures for the current fall term, yet many among the student body feel it has not been relaxed enough.

When asked about the school policy of masks in class, Juliette Williams from MacIsaac said “They’re kinda dumb… We don’t need masks anywhere but classes.” A masked classroom in an unmasked building could surely do a small amount to stop the spread, but not much. While Juliette recognizes that the virus “still affects a lot of people across the country” she doesn’t feel concerned about her health if infected. As a young person triple-vaxxed, Juliette, like most folk on campus, is not at the greatest risk for serious complications from Covid. The average age for those who died of Covid in Nova Scotia was 84, and for hospitalization was 77.

Alex Guerra, who lives in O’Regan, echoes Juliette’s feelings. He says “Its as if covid has just ended... Except for mask restrictions in class.” He notes that despite the rules “no one wears [masks] outside of classes, [or] even in them.” Undoubtedly, it’s true that since the mask mandate has been implemented ‘chin strapping’ has been commonplace. Teachers are not required to wear a mask, and students are permitted to take them off during presentations, as well as to eat and drink. In an interview with the Globe and Mail following last year’s outbreak on campus, President Andy Hakin blamed this last rule on the rapid spread of the virus, calling it a “grey area.” 

Juliette and Alex, along with others interviewed, believe that the decision to mask shouldn’t be school policy but instead left up to teachers to decide the rules for their classroom. Alex believes that “as long as there is not another covid outbreak” there’s no need for mandatory masking, but “it’s important to monitor the situation.” He commended StFX for making access to rapid Covid test kits free and easily accessible at Bloomfield.