On Monday, September 13, nine Alberta post-secondary institutions (University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, MacEwan University, Medicine Hat College, Mount Royal University, NAIT, SAIT, and NorQuest College) announced they will make the following enhancements to their campus safety measures:

• Campus community members and visitors will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend campuses.
• Campus community members and visitors will be required to provide proof of vaccination.
• Rapid testing will no longer be accepted as an alternative to vaccination, except for campus community members who cannot be vaccinated based on medical or other protected grounds outlined in the Alberta Human Rights Act. These individuals should follow the self-declaration exemption procedures already in place at their post-secondary institution and will be reasonably accommodated.

Implementation dates and details for these new measures will vary from institution to institution according to their specific needs and policies.

While Volleyball Alberta does not currently require proof of vaccination; participants in our programs must follow requirements of facilities and institutions that we utilize in addition to public health orders.  Volleyball Alberta is a facility partner and operates several programs at the Saville Community Sports Centre, which is managed by the University of Alberta (UofA). The UofA is working on procedures for how this will be monitored moving forward. We understand there will be accommodation for people who are not eligible or cannot be vaccinated (example, children under 12 years of age).  The details are coming and will be share once finalized.

Starting November 1, the University of Alberta has outlined their campus members and visitors will be required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination to attend campuses. Please visit:  https://www.ualberta.ca/covid-19/campus-safety/index.html to learn more about vaccination standards.

To reiterate, Volleyball Alberta does not currently require proof of vaccination; participants in our programs must follow requirements of facilities and institutions that we utilize in addition to public health orders.  As more businesses and facilities institute COVID-19 related policies (i.e., vaccination policies, masking policies, spectator restrictions), Volleyball Alberta members need to be prepared to adhere to these policies. 

Due to the intricate nature of tournament and program design, we cannot accommodate requests for individuals/teams to participate only in venues without vaccination policies. Refund requests will not be granted if VA institutes, voluntarily or non-voluntarily (imposed restrictions), additional COVID-19 measures after cancellation deadlines or partway through a program. Volleyball Alberta strongly recommends all eligible individuals be fully vaccinated.