Preventing the spread of illness this fall

September 1, 2023

With the start of the fall term, McMaster is encouraging students, faculty and staff to protect themselves and others from respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold, COVID-19 and influenza, which circulate in the cooler months.

The university continues to encourage students, faculty and staff to stay home when they are sick. Wearing a mask and staying up-to-date on vaccinations, such as COVID boosters and the flu shot, are some of the best ways to decrease the spread of illness.

As the university prepares to welcome students back to campus, the following evolution of COVID-19 measures will occur at the start of the Fall 2023 academic term in line with other Ontario universities:

  • Retiring vaccination policies: The university’s “Vaccination Policy – COVID-19 Requirements for Employees and Students” and the “Vaccination Policy – COVID-19 Requirements for Visitors will retire at the start of the fall term. McMaster first paused its COVID vaccination policy in the spring of 2022.
  • Ventilation: McMaster will continue to increase fresh air into ventilated buildings. Higher quality (MERV-13) filters will be maintained on a regular schedule where possible. The HEPA filters provided in learning spaces and non-mechanically ventilated buildings will be maintained and can be used by teaching staff or others if desired.
  • Retiring case reporting on Mosaic and vaccine certificate mobile applications: The Mosaic website will no longer include the COVID case reporting tool. The MacCheck and AppArmour Vaccine Passport apps will no longer collect vaccination certificates for McMaster community members.
  • Illness prevention information: Information about COVID-19 and other illnesses can be found on the Human Resources webpage, along with tips to stay healthy and links to the latest guidance from public health.

The university will continue to monitor pandemic activity and will make modifications to COVID measures in the future if required. All learners, faculty and staff who learn or work in hospitals and clinical settings will continue to follow COVID-19 measures at partner institutions.

Masks continue to be available on campus. Please contact University Health and Safety (eohss@mcmaster.ca) or the Faculty of Health Sciences Safety Office (fhsso@mcmaster.ca) to learn more.

For more information about best practices for reducing your risk of illness and protecting our community, visit Human Resources’ website.