The health and safety of our students are of paramount concern to St. Clair College. Following consultations with local and provincial public health experts, St. Clair College will require staff, faculty, students, contractors and campus visitors to be fully vaccinated this Fall.
The expectation is for staff and students to have received their first dose of a Health Canada or World Health Organization approved COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of classes which commence on September 7, 2021. Staff and students will also be required to receive their second dose of the vaccine within the required minimum period and provide proof that they have done so.
This decision follows an earlier announcement requiring vaccinations of students living in residence and for varsity athletes, as well as associated staff.
Individuals who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons or other grounds protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code can request an accommodation and they will be required to voluntarily disclose their status. Those with exemptions or who do not wish to disclose will be required to undergo rapid testing twice a week. Anyone with a positive test result will require a PCR test to confirm their results of the rapid test and self-isolate at home pending results.
St. Clair College will review reports on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance. Details on how this new vaccine protocol will be implemented will follow next week.
St. Clair College will offer vaccines through the following avenues:
- PharmaSave Pharmacy across from Windsor Crossing the weeks of August 16th and 23rd. Appointments can be made through the Health Centre.
- The Campus Health Centre starting the week of August 30. Vaccinations will take place Tuesdays at the Chatham Health Centre, and Wednesdays at the Main Campus Health Centre. Appointments can be made through the Health Centre.
- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will be setting up a pop-up vaccine clinic at Main Campus on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Chatham Public Health will have a pop-up vaccine clinic on Thursday, September 9, 2021, in the study lounge in TSI.
The best way to prevent COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths in Canada is to increase population immunity. The more people who receive vaccines, the more we will be able to reduce or prevent community spread.
"St. Clair College is committed to doing our part in increasing the rates of vaccination in our region," said College President Patti France. "In turn, this will protect not only our College community but the larger communities in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent."
Since the global pandemic began 18 months ago, St. Clair College has taken steps to mitigate the transmission of the COVID-19 virus on all our campuses. We implemented strict health and safety policies that required staff, faculty, students, and visitors to complete a daily COVID-19 questionnaire prior to entering on campus and daily screening which continues today.
We intensified our cleaning protocols and required everyone on our campuses to wear face coverings. We also implemented strict social distancing guidelines that allowed us to provide some classes and labs on campus.
St. Clair College will continue to consult with public health officials and government agencies on all aspects of our health and safety protocols as we proceed to navigate changing circumstances in a global pandemic that continues to evolve.