The University of Guelph has begun shifting select labs, exams and lectures into a remote format as the number of COVID-19 cases has begun to rise.
Over the weekend, posts popped up on social media about some university classes and exams were being moved remotely, notable those associated with the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).
"Like many places across the city and province, we are seeing an increase in reported positive cases. The health of our community continues to be our top priority as we work to ensure course completion and student success. As a result, we have shifted some OVC lectures and labs as well as some mid-term exams to remote delivery," said Deirdre Healey, communications coordinator at the U of G in an email on Monday afternoon.
Healey added: "There are about 240 students in the OVC programs impacted. However, some courses were already being delivered remotely so the recent switch to online for some lectures, labs and exams did not impact all students equally. Decisions were made on a course-by-course basis balancing health and safety with the essential in-person training required to achieve optimal learning outcomes for students."
Earlier this year the U of G took down the case reporting section on its website to align with the provincial announcement PCR COVID-19 testing was being limited to specific groups.
Rapid testing, however, did continue on the campus, as well as a masking policy update to outlaw cloth masks and instead make medical masks the mandatory minimum facial covering on campus.
Focusing its attention on the provincial guidelines of high-risk settings, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health said it is currently not monitoring any outbreaks associated with the U of G.
“We aren’t monitoring or managing any outbreaks of COVID-19 at the University of Guelph. Right now we are only managing outbreaks in highest-risk settings as per the provincial direction. We also would not be managing any cases unless they meet the PCR eligibility criteria (though even then, some cases are managed by the provincial workforce)," WDG Public Health said in an email attributed to Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health for WDG Public Health.
"We know that people across our community are being exposed to COVID-19, and we’re reminding people to use their rapid tests, to isolate while ill, and to seek health care as appropriate (including accessing antivirals if eligible).”
The U of G's masking and vaccine mandates are set to end on May 1 with the conclusion of the winter semester and the beginning of the summer semester.
