Respiratory Illness Information (COVID-19)

Respiratory Illness Information (COVID-19)

University guidance and requirements

Queen’s University’s respiratory illness information site contains detailed information on Masking Guidelines, Managing Respiratory Illness, Vaccination, Ventilation Measures, and more.

Respiratory Illness Information Site

Additional considerations specific to Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) are outlined below:

Managing Respiratory Illness

  • Individuals are encouraged to monitor for symptoms prior to coming to campus or attending class or activities. 
  • Individuals who are ill are encouraged to follow the guidance of KFL&A Public Health with respect to managing their symptoms and staying at home. 
  • Learners who are ill should connect with their program to understand the process for requesting academic considerations for the time they are not able to come to campus or attend classes. Learners should follow any program-specific requirements – e.g., protocols for reporting absences and returning to in-person activities after an illness. 
  • Instructors and departments are encouraged to communicate the process for receiving academic considerations to learners. 
  • Learners are not required to obtain medical notes for absences associated with a respiratory illness.

Masking

Queen’s campus is mask friendly and QHS supports individuals who decide to wear a mask at any time. Masking is not mandatory in QHS, with the following exceptions:

  • In experiential learning settings, if a standardized patient or volunteer patient chooses to wear a mask, then learners, staff, or faculty are required to wear a mask.
  • In Queen's patient care settings (such as the Queen’s Family Health Team), learners, staff, and faculty must follow the masking protocol of the clinical setting.
  • In off-campus settings such as hospitals and clinics, learners, staff, and faculty must follow the masking protocol of the institution.

Placement and Clinical Settings

  • While present or working in an affiliated institution (clinic, hospital, other setting), staff, faculty and learners must comply with the health and safety requirements of that institution or setting. Please also monitor illness activity and public health recommendations in your local area.

Vaccinations

  • Learners, faculty and staff are required to comply with the vaccination policies of affiliated institutions while working or learning in these settings. These may differ from university policy and may severely limit available placement opportunities for unvaccinated learners, which may impede their ability to progress in or complete their program.

Meetings:

  • QHS encourages organizers of staff/faculty meetings to make virtual/remote attendance options available.