NDP call on Alberta government to provide COVID-19 safeguards for post-secondary students

CALGARY — As the 2021-22 school year approaches, the Alberta NDP are calling on the UCP government to provide post-secondary students with the protection they need to be back on campus.

Advanced Education Critic David Eggen says according to data, only about 51 per cent of people between the age of 20 and 24 have been vaccinated.

Because of this, along with the lifting of COVID-19 protocols in Alberta, Eggen has three demands for the government heading into the school year.

“On-campus vaccination clinics at every post-secondary school in time for the first day of class,” he said. “We have a real opportunity here to vaccinate large groups of the population at a place where they will be congregating. Let’s take vaccines directly to the students.”

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Eggen says he believes these clinics should have the ability to provide testing for students, faculty and staff who develop COVID-19 symptoms.

“For those who do test positive, they can take the necessary precautions to isolate and avoid spreading the virus.”

Along with on-site vaccinations and testing, the NDP is calling on the government to invest $83 million for additional sanitization, cleaning staff, PPE and other necessary precautions for campuses.