By Adel Ahmed
As COVID hospitalizations and active cases continue to decline, NAIT has chosen to end the mask requirement for students and staff. As of March 14th, “face masks will no longer be required but strongly recommended for any person in an indoor public space on NAIT campuses or in NAIT facilities,” NAIT announced.
According to the update, the decision was “informed by public health guidance, the trajectory of the pandemic and the needs of the community.” Despite the change in rules, NAIT still strongly recommends masking and will continue to sell face masks at the shop at NAIT bookstore and in some vending machines on campus.
But not all of NAIT will be ditching face masks right away. NAITSA, the NAIT Students’ Association, has decided to keep their masking requirements as is until further notice.
“NAITSA decided, after careful consideration, to keep masking requirements for our staff and volunteers until we have a clearer picture of what direction this will go,” said Ashleigh MacPhee, NAITSA HR Manager.
Despite COVID-19 numbers decreasing, the student association is going with a cautious approach.
“Extending the mask requirement for our staff while in NAITSA spaces and out working events is one of the safety measures we decided to keep in place for the time being,” said MacPhee.The student association plans to revisit its measures on April 30th.
For more information on NAIT’s changes to the mask requirements and to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 information, visit the COVID-19 Information page.
