This week, more than 610,000 young people across B.C. will start attending classes in person.
We used to take this for granted. It was routine, convention, tradition. For some, it was an annual rite of passage.
Last year changed that. Veteran post-secondary students starting third or fourth year might be attending in-person classes for the first time in almost 18 months. Those starting college or university this or last September may be meeting their classmates, profs and lectures face to face and on campus for the first time ever.
And at grade schools, which did open last year, learning groups and cohorts will no longer dictate who students spend their days with. More young people may be opting for the standard brick-and-mortar option for schooling this September after a hiatus with online schooling or homeschooling last year.
There’ll be far fewer pre-recorded classroom demonstrations, no more Zoom lectures or class discussions, and no more online exams.
It’s a return to something like normal.
It’s like old times.
Except it isn’t.
Eighteen months into a pandemic, we’ve entered its unwelcome fourth wave. The Delta variant took a while to get to Canada, but now — to paraphrase that well-known movie line — “It’s here.”
Caseloads in B.C. and across Canada are rebounding.
It’s tiresome. And yet, here we are — looking nervously over our shoulders still (or again).
It’s the same ol’ pandemic, but this time in B.C., it looks different.
Many British Columbians are vaccinated to some degree this time.
But not enough are vaccinated to contain the new, improved variant or to protect those who cannot be vaccinated or who, even if fully vaccinated, remain highly vulnerable to the disease.
And so familiar social-containment measures have returned, this time with a couple of twists. Except in hard-hit hotspots in the Interior, where stricter measures to control contagion and spread have been enacted, businesses and nonessential services remain open.
We’re back to donning masks to enter most indoor public spaces. As of Aug. 25, anyone 12 and older, regardless of vaccination status, must mask up to enter a mall, grocery store, or shop, stop by the library, go to a community or recreation centre, or take any type of public transportation.
That includes staff and students in Grade 4 and above attending class at school. Students younger than 12 — none of whom are vaccinated — will be encouraged to wear masks.
The mask order also applies in all indoor public areas on post-secondary campuses, from lobbies, hallways, stairwells and elevators to classrooms and labs.
Some not-so-familiar steps are also being taken. During this fourth wave of the pandemic, vaccine passports are imminent.
Starting Sept. 13, B.C. residents aged 12 and older will need to show proof of having received at least one jab of the COVID-19 vaccine if they want to attend or take part in a non-essential service or event. The B.C. Vaccine Card will be needed to get into certain social and recreational settings — for example, to enjoy a pint at the pub, eat inside a restaurant or out on a restaurant patio, go to the movies, attend a concert or a ballgame, take a fitness class, or attend a conference or wedding.
By Oct. 24, people will need to be fully vaccinated and have waited at least seven days after receiving both doses of the vaccine before entering those settings.
However, for all B.C. post-secondary students living on campus, the measures come into effect this Tuesday. In addition, students wishing to access non-essential indoor services on campus — gyms, nightclubs, restaurants and indoor events such as sporting events, concerts and so on — will also have to show proof of vaccination.
Both the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University ask students and employees to declare they are fully vaccinated or undergo periodic rapid testing to access classrooms, laboratories, learning areas, student support or wellness centres, and general working areas.
Teachers, staff and eligible students at B.C.’s kindergarten to Grade 12 schools are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to the classroom.
The new school year is typically a time of hope and new beginnings. We’re seeing some of that this September. Mixed in with ol’ familiar pandemic measures and new steps designed to shape and encourage people’s behaviour and choices, we’re seeing some signs towards a return to something almost nearly potentially resembling normalcy — maybe.
