Mills is taking students' water bottles and keeping them until you leave

Photo C/O flowersformeplease, Reddit

Better drink up before you go study

McMaster University students took to the r/McMaster sub-Reddit to share that their drinks were being confiscated by Mills Library Learning Commons.

On Jan. 14, McMaster announced a list of places where students were able to eat and study during the limited reopening of campus.

While the Silhouette reported that food and drink would be prohibited, it's safe to assume that everyone thought this meant you couldn't eat or drink in there, but if you brought in a water bottle that would be fine.

Well, Reddit user flowersformeplease, surely proved us wrong

The user posted the photo to r/McMaster on Wednesday, Jan. 26 which caused an uproar in the student-Reddit community.

"This won’t spread Covid at all. The mouths of the bottles almost touching is waaaaay more safe than putting it in your bag. Smh," said user LowFatTastesBad.

Another user shared their experience before the current set of restrictions.

"They were very lenient last semester, I saw people with drinks in there all the time. It seems a little bit much to take water bottles away tho," said user mspag5000.

Some students on the Reddit thread have put into question the different restrictions that Ontarians are facing across the province. While McMaster has its own sets of restrictions, the elementary school sector has a completley different set of rules.

"[E]lementary students are eating and drinking together for 20 min[,] 2 times a day. There is no logic to this pandemic anymore," said Maplesugar2112.

With campus currently slated to open in a larger capacity on Jan. 31 to welcome level one students, we will have to see if this rule sticks around.

In a statement to the Silhouette, McMaster University officials say this rule is due to the current COVID-19 restrictions.

"Users are not permitted to bring food or beverages into McMaster libraries. This prohibition – a requirement under pandemic-related public health rules – is posted clearly. Library users are required to consume their food or beverages prior to entering or to leave any food and drinks at the entrance for retrieval upon leaving. This policy will continue to be enforced as long as public health protocols are in place," stated McMaster officials in an email to the Silhouette.

In the meantime, drink as much as you can before you head into Mills because you'll have to leave your bottle on the middle desk.