The University of Windsor has announced plans to extend the holiday closure at the school and delay a return to the classroom due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Based on advice from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, the university is extending its holiday closure until Jan 5, 2022.
Employees, who are able to, are being asked to work remotely while some employees are required to be on campus to support operations and student-facing services.
Professor Jess Dixon, Chair of the Return to Campus Action Group, says the earliest anyone would be returning to campus for face-to-face classes would be Jan. 31, two weeks out from Jan. 17, which is when the winter term is now set to begin and will be done virtually on a temporary basis.
"All with the intention to give people time to get their booster doses so that we can get back to resuming what we had planned for the winter semester," he says.
On-campus classes, activities, and work for students, faculty, and staff will resume as soon as it is possible to do so.
Dixon says the best way to continue on the path to return to campus is to get COVID-19 booster shots in people's arms.
"By pushing back the return to campus, pushing back the start of the semester and starting the semester online, it gives us the opportunity to allow that to happen," he says.
Dixon wants all students to know that they are not shortening the semester by delaying the start, they are delaying the finish.
"We're not changing the number of weeks in the semester. We're not changing when Reading Week is scheduled, because we recognize that some people may already have plans in place for that week, which coincides with the Family Day holiday," he says. "We're also going to ensure all of our exams are completed by the end of April."
Dixon adds they will ensure all exams are finished by the end of April, so any students in a lease agreement will not have to extend their stay, and allow the university to start the summer semester to start on schedule in May, 2022.
The university says it will provide at least two weeks’ notice regarding the return to campus and will make the determination in consultation with local health authorities and the Province, and communicate updates on a weekly basis.
Click here to read the entire statement from the University of Windsor.