Students at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and at other universities across B.C. are expected to be back to on-campus learning this fall.

Its after Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, gave public universities and colleges the go-ahead today to prepare for a full return to in-person classes this September.

“This news is very positive and comes after a long and challenging year,” TRU President Brett Fairbairn said, in a statement. “I appreciate that it likely results in many questions. While we can’t answer all your questions at this early stage of planning, we are committed to keeping you informed.”

University and college administrators will be working with Dr. Henry and the B.C. Government to update the ‘Go Forward Guidelines’ for post-secondary institutions, which when finalized will help plan for a safe return this fall.

“The guidelines will provide high-level guidance to post-secondary institutions for a safe resumption of on-campus learning,” said Anne Kang, B.C.’s Minister of Advanced Education. “Institutions will then work with their local medical health officer and WorkSafeBC to develop more detailed safety plans for each institution.”

In a letter to post secondary institutions today, Dr. Henry said the return to in-person classes will be beneficial for the health and well-being of staff and students after a challenging 2020-2021 school year.

“There are very good reasons to be confident that a return to on-campus instruction in the fall can
be undertaken safely and successfully,” Henry said. “Current projections of the COVID-19 vaccine supply in B.C. suggest that all vulnerable and high-risk groups should be immunized this spring, and the majority of the adult population by the summer.”

“Young adults aged 18-24 should receive the vaccine no later than the end of July, but more likely sooner.”

Henry went on to say that effective safety plans have helped large sectors in the province operate safely. She noted updated safety plans will still be important to reduce the opportunity for infectious contacts when students and faculty return to campus.

“My team looks forward to working with you to fine-tune plans we have all become so familiar with: self-administered health checks; facilitating hand cleaning through access to soap and water or encouraging people to use hand sanitizers; use of masks; early detection and rapid testing of potential cases; isolation; and case and contact management,” Henry said.

As for TRU’s international students, many of whom have been unable to come to Canada this year because of travel restrictions, Fairbairn says a plan to bring them to Kamloops remains unclear at this time.

“A return to campus may look different for international students currently studying abroad, but this will become clearer in the near future,” he said. “I can assure our international students that our plan will consider how to best support them if they are not yet able to return.”

The latest on TRU’s plans for a return to campus can be found online here.