NASA says it's concerned for the health and safety of its members at the University of Alberta (UA) and wants the university to re-examine whether masking in high-traffic areas is appropriate..Jillian Pratt, president of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA), wrote university president Bill Flanagan and board of governors Chair Kate Chisholm to warn NASA “is increasingly concerned” about campus measures to “ensure the health and safety” of its union members..“While we appreciate throughout the pandemic university leadership has largely followed the direction set by provincial public health authorities, administration has in the past implemented more strict precautionary measures based on the unique circumstances that exist on campus. With reports of increased rates of COVID, along with seasonal influenza and respiratory viruses, NASA believes it is time for the university to reassess if additional safety measures are now appropriate on … campus,” Pratt wrote..“Specifically, we are calling on the university to update its institutional COVID-19 Hazard Assessment (which was last updated at the end of August) to determine if additional measures — such as the reinstatement of mandatory masking in high-traffic common areas — is appropriate given the current circumstances.”.Much has changed at the top since the August assessment. Danielle Smith was sworn in as premier on October 12 and Dr. Deena Hinshaw was replaced as Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health on November 14, as Mark Joffe has taken the helm in the interim..Pratt said there was “an absence of leadership from the current provincial government” and wanted a restart of “regular meetings between university leadership, campus unions, and student leaders to share the latest information and assessments and discuss appropriate measures.”.“We believe it is incumbent on university leadership to use a transparent, evidence-based approach in making decisions,” Pratt wrote.
