FAQ: COVID-19

The School of Engineering would like to reassure the faculty community that the health and wellbeing of our UBC community is of paramount importance as we chart our plans for a full return to campus.

The Province of British Columbia released its “Returning to Post-Secondary: What You Need To Know” that outlines protocols for September 2021.

UBC will require COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty and staff, with exemptions provided for those who are vaccinated against COVID-19. 

All faculty, staff, and graduate students must complete the UBC Go Forward COVID-19 Safety Training course prior to returning to campus.

• A daily self-health assessment is required before attending campus.
• Stay home if you are sick. Use the Thrive Health self-assessment tool for guidance and follow the advice from Public Health.
• Everyone must follow relevant signage when moving around UBC campuses or worksites.
• Masks are recommended in indoor common spaces to ensure the safety of our faculty, staff, and students.

For the latest return to campus information, please visit https://ok.ubc.ca/covid19/

What does this mean for students?

• If some students are unable to come to campus for reasons beyond their control, the School of Engineering will do its best to support their degree progress but there is no guarantee that the courses they need will be available online.
• A set of relevant FAQs that include information about housing, health and well-being and other services is available at ubc.ca/information-for-students.

Student and parent inquiries or concerns can be directed to  avps.ok@ubc.ca .

UBC Okanagan has expanded its online resources for students. To review student support services, visit students.ok.ubc.ca/support. For information related to international students including a comprehensive immigration and health insurance FAQ visit students.ok.ubc.ca/international. 

As a community we need to continue to uphold our individual responsibility to work together to navigate our safe return to on-campus activity – from maintaining health and safety practices to exercising kindness and empathy for each other.

Mandatory Masks:

• The Provincial Health Officer has issued new province-wide mandatory mask requirements for all indoor public areas effective August 25, 2021 including shopping centres, coffee shops, retail and grocery stores, pubs, and public transportation.
• To support the full return to in-person education, research and on-campus services for B.C.’s post-secondary institutions, the new mask order will apply to all indoor public areas on post-secondary campuses including classrooms, labs, lobbies, hallways, stairwells, and elevators.
• Further details will be available in the Provincial Health Officer Order currently under development, including mask exemption provisions.
• Local health authorities are working closely with post-secondary institutions to provide access to the COVID-19 vaccine for all students, faculty and staff.