COVID-19

All Updates

Dear colleagues and students,

Today, the Nova Scotia government has announced 37 new COVID-19 cases, including a confirmed case in a nearby high school and a rapid increase of confirmed cases in the Central Zone, Northern Zone, and some Western Zone areas due to community spread.

The provinces of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador have announced that they are suspending the 'Atlantic Bubble' travel agreement for two weeks, effective November 24 and November 25 respectively. Prince Edward Island has also suspended non-essential travel.

Yesterday, a department head sent a message to a group of students and faculty out of an abundance of caution to temporarily cease in-person activities within that program. They were advised that a student in that program had chosen to self-isolate while a friend awaits a COVID-19 test result. Their friend is not connected to Acadia.

The University appreciates the student taking the extra precaution of self-isolating. However, there is no confirmed exposure to COVID-19 for that individual at this time.

We are sending this message to clarify the situation to our campus and community. And to let you know, there is no change to our campus status or permitted activities at this time.

This situation is a good opportunity to remind us to continue checking for COVID-19 symptoms daily before being on campus and staying away if we feel ill or exhibit symptoms. If you are instructed to self-isolate, please advise Safety and Security and follow up with your instructors or supervisor. Details for checking and contacting 811 are available on the COVID-19 information website.

We thank the individual student who is choosing to self-isolate for taking precautions, and we hope they will stay well.

If you have concerns or questions, please contact our Occupational Health Nurse Caroliina Landry.

 

Thank you,

Dr. Dale Keefe

Provost and Vice-President, Academic

Effective immediately, November 10, 2020, Acadia University will offer students some less restrictive options to study on campus.

Five locations are now mask-exempt to allow students to remove their masks indoors, provided they are seated and physically distanced from others.

Atlantic University Sport (AUS) is expected to make an announcement regarding return to competition for winter sports teams in the next few weeks. Should the AUS announce restrictions will be lifted, we will reopen the pool to provide our varsity swim team student-athletes with the facilities they need in order to compete, just as we do for other winter term sports.

According to IRCC's new travel update, as of October 20, 2020, international students may be authorized to travel to Canada if the designated learning institution (DLI) they are attending is listed on IRCC's website with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan. Acadia University is expected to be on the updated DLI list by November 3, 2020.

Students who wish to study on-campus will need to arrive by January 3rd, self-isolate for 14 days, and have a valid study permit or letter of introduction. Please visit the Wong International Centre for more information.

As you may be aware, New Brunswick is currently facing a resurgence of COVID-19 with 66 new cases in the past 5 days and a number of public exposure notices. We are aware that some of you may have chosen to visit New Brunswick this weekend and, as such, are asking that all members of our community take additional precautions over the next two weeks.

Acadia University will stay the course and welcome students back to campus for a COVID-19-ready Winter 2021 term with a hybrid approach to teaching and learning. Dr. Peter Ricketts, Acadia’s President and Vice-Chancellor, announced the plan directly to students, faculty and staff on October 8, 2020, via email.

Acadia University announced today that it will keep its swimming pool closed indefinitely. The difficult decision was made for two reasons – to ensure the safety and well-being of pool users and to address annual financial losses. “These two factors make this an unfortunate but necessary decision at this time,” said Chris Callbeck, Vice-President, Finance and Administration, and CFO.

Need Help?

Need Information?

Need Answers?

Ask COVID-19 Questions