COVID-19 Safety Protocol Reminder

Posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021

Dear Colleagues and Learners:

We are taking this opportunity to remind all members of the College community of the importance of the need to continue practicing all of the COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures.

While the vaccine rollout strategy is well underway, our communities continue to deal with the threat of a third wave of COVID-19 and we are currently seeing rising case rates and the emergence of variants of concern, which bring additional complexities and concerns. The circumstances in Ottawa are grave and it is entirely likely that increased restrictions will be implemented in the coming days. Perth Campus is still operating in the Red Zone of the reopening framework and our Pembroke Campus is operating in the Yellow Zone.

This is an opportunity to provide the following short reminders to everyone for ongoing access to the campuses and to encourage everyone to practice these habits, even once we are away from our campuses for the Holiday break.

ILLNESS, TESTING AND REPORTING (On-Line Resources)

We have had several close calls where poor judgement has led to greater possibility of infections occurring on campus and the potential for an outbreak.

  • DO NOT come to campus if you have family members at home who have tested positive for COVID-19. You should go for testing yourself, in these circumstances, and not come to campus until after you have received a negative test result and you are cleared by public health.
  • DO NOT come to campus if you are going for testing or you have been tested and are awaiting results
  • DO NOT come to campus if you are experiencing any symptoms
  • REPORT to your Supervisor or Coordinator / Chair if you are sick or experiencing symptoms
  • BE TESTED for COVID-19 in accordance with public health advice
  • FOLLOW all directions from public health agencies regarding quarantining / self-isolating
  • SELF-SCREEN every day and DO NOT attend campus if you have not passed the screening. Download the self-screening app to make this as easy as possible.

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL (On-Line Resources)

  • WASH / SANITIZE your hands frequent and avoid touching your face
  • PHYSICALLY DISTANCE yourself (2M/6ft) from others at all times on campus or away from campus. There are only very few exceptions to this requirement.
  • AVOID CROWDS, especially indoors. Do not gather in hallways or common spaces between classes/labs. Respect 2M/6ft distancing.
  • WEAR MASKS at all times inside all College buildings. You may remove your mask only when eating or drinking.
  • REMEMBER masks are not an alternative to the physical distancing requirement. They are intended as a level of protection in addition to physical distancing.

Please continue to follow the advice of Ottawa Public Health to “Be Social Wise”. Keep in mind that even though public health rules and regulations may permit certain types of activity, there is still an element of personal choice around whether you need or want to participate in social activities and gatherings of any kind.

The College has been fortunate to be able to allow continuous on-campus academic instruction for hands-on instruction since the pilot programs that were introduced during the summer of 2020. Our continued ability to do so rests solely on the strength of the plans and protocols we have adopted to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Given the extent of our continued operations on campuses, we have had relatively few episodes of COVID-19 that have directly affected us.

We appreciate the commitment that all members of the College community have made to safe behaviours over this period and are offering these reminders to refresh everyone regarding the need for a sustained commitment. During such a prolonged battle with COVID-19 we know that fatigue and complacency can contribute to a lapse in controls. The success of these protocols, however, continues to rest with each and every member of the College community and the actions that you take at an individual level for your own safety and the safety of the College community.

Please stay well,

Colin Bonang

Director, Risk Management, Algonquin College


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