On January 11, 2021, this webpage published ATIPP information in the article MUN grants 88 exemptions to COVID-19 vaccines mandate for employees and students. Then, on February 6, 2022, this webpage published ATIPP information in the article MUN approves a total of two COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests. The information in both articles is correct. However, there is some confusion. The first article was data up to November 29, 2021, and the second article includes data starting in the Winter semester.
Below is an explanation received by MUN’s ATIPP Office from the university regarding the number of vaccine exemptions granted to date at the university:
“In the Fall semester individuals agreed to testing and signed an attestation that they meet the requirements for an exemption (the documentation for exemptions were never validated, because it was basically be vaccinated or tested). As the NL Public Sector Policy changed, and we updated our policy, testing was no longer an option and we went from exemptions through testing to needing to have documented accommodations in alignment with the procedure, and our employee and student policy on accommodations. So it shifted in January to vaccinated or accommodated (testing was not an option), and every accommodation request was reviewed.
So at that point the 88 exemptions, were told to resubmit for an accommodation, and they could not meet the standard for our policy hence why there were only two.”
Essentially, there were 88 exemptions given under the previous vaccine exemption policy. When the second ATIPP request was filed, the new policy was in effect, and thus there had only been two exemption requests approved to date because all previous exemptions had been cancelled.
Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
Matt Barter 