Fanshawe "encourages" masking on campus

A sign asking people to please wear a mask while indoors along with symptoms to watch out for. CREDIT: HANNAH THEODORE
Fanshawe College is encouraging masking campus as Ontario's pediatric hospital system deals with unprecedented strain.

On Nov. 21, Fanshawe College sent a notice to staff and students encouraging all campus community members to mask while on campus.

In consultation with the Middlesex London Health-Unit (MLHU), the college said the decision was made to “protect the pediatric population.” This comes after a recent rise in cases of the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been reported in children under the age of five in Ontario, resulting in a surge of sick children in Ontario hospitals.

Ontario’s top doctor, Kieran Moore, strongly recommended masking indoors on Nov. 14, citing the “perfect storm” of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV as the biggest strain on the province’s pediatric healthcare system.

Navigator. Londons student lifestyles magazine.

“What we are facing is a triple threat that requires our collective action and action to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, the very young, the very old and those with underlying medical issues and to ensure that our health-care system remains able to care for Ontarians when they need it,” Moore said last week.

Fanshawe is also reminding campus community members to screen regularly for COVID-19 and stay home if you are feeling unwell. It said the college is not currently considered “high risk” but stated that “masking will help protect our entire community as we continue into the colder, winter months.

While not an official mask mandate, that college had stated back in August that it would consider reintroducing mask and vaccine mandates on campus if they became necessary.