Camosun College continues to follow the advice and direction of the Provincial Health Officer, BC Centre for Disease Control and Island Health to ensure the health and safety of the college community.
Recent changes to public health orders impact the college community. The B.C. Vaccine Card program has been extended until June 30, 2022 and will now cover events of all sizes, regardless of the number of people attending, as outlined by the Provincial Health Officer on Jan. 25.
At Camosun, everyone on campus aged 12 and older is required to use a B.C. Vaccine Card to access the following:
- Fitness centres (now open with capacity limits in place);
- Chargers games; and,
- Non-educational indoor events once they are permitted to resume.
The card is not required for accessing classrooms, lab sessions, seminars and other formal educational activities. Nor is the card required for on campus cafeterias.
On Jan. 25, the BCCDC also updated their public health guidance for post-secondary institutions to support in-person learning for the coming months, emphasizing that structured educational settings are considered low-risk settings for COVID-19 transmission, particularly in the context of a highly immunized population and with COVID-19 safety measures in place.
Certain types of gatherings and events in B.C., including those on post-secondary campuses, remain restricted. These include non-educational (i.e., non-essential or discretionary) activities, such as:
- Convocation ceremonies;
- Parties;
- Recitals; and,
- Concerts.
Current size limits are 50 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity indoors (whichever is greater) or 5,000 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity outdoors (whichever is greater). For example, if an indoor venue has a normal seated capacity of 600 people, 300 people can attend. For more information, please consult the most recent update to the gatherings and event order on Jan. 17.
Note that, according to the B.C. Government, the use of the B.C. Vaccine card is being reviewed regularly and may be stopped sooner than June 30 if the pandemic situation changes. As well, the current public health orders are due for review on Feb. 16, and may or may not be extended or otherwise amended. Camosun will continue to provide timely updates as the situation evolves, both through CamNews and through our website at camosun.ca/covid19.
Contact information
Camosun College
Communications Department