The following updates are provided by the Return-to-Campuses steering committee.
The University of Guelph continues to prioritize physical distancing. If you don’t need to be on campus, please stay home to help keep our community safe. Staff, faculty and graduate students able to work from home will continue to do so.
How Ontario’s new COVID-19 response framework applies at U of G
The Ontario government recently released a new COVID-19 response framework with five colour-coded levels:
- Prevent – Green
- Protect – Yellow
- Restrict – Orange
- Control – Red
- Lockdown – Grey
Regions (based on public health unit boundaries) move through the different levels based on epidemiology (e.g., the number of cases in the region, outbreaks, community transmission), hospital system capacity and public health’s capacity to manage contact tracing and follow-up. Learn more about the new COVID-19 response framework on the Government of Ontario website.
As of Nov. 26, Guelph is currently in the Orange-Restrict level.
This means stricter rules for restaurants, bars and sports and recreational facilities, among other businesses.
At U of G, in addition to our current safety measures, it means:
- Increased space between people in the Athletics Centre’s fitness centre and fitness classes.
- No back-to-back bookings for recreation time slots or fitness centre time slots.
- A limit of 4 people seated together in the dining area of Creelman Hall and in the Brass Taps.
- A limit of 30 minutes for dining without a face covering in Creelman Hall, the Bullring and Brass Taps. You can stay in these spaces for longer than 30 minutes but must finish dining and put your face covering back on. Other open dining outlets on campus are for takeout only.
Learn more about how the Athletics Centre, Brass Taps and Hospitality Services are following COVID-19 safety protocols.
The University is following the government’s regulations closely and will implement changes as they are announced.
Travel limitations in Restrict-Orange level
The Restrict-Orange level also includes recommendations to avoid non-essential travel from areas of high transmission to areas of low transmission. This restriction does not include travel for work or study. Those who live in areas that are currently Control-Red or Lockdown-Grey are permitted to travel to campus or a U of G facility for work or to attend face-to-face learning activities.
Travel for University research purposes is still restricted.
Updated hazardous weather policy
U of G has updated its hazardous weather policy to address the circumstances presented by COVID-19.
For 2020-21, if the University needs to curtail operations due to hazardous weather:
- Face-to-face classes, labs, tutorials and exams will be postponed
- Classes and exams held through alternative delivery formats may proceed, circumstances permitting – check the intranet on the day of a closure for more information
- Employees who are working remotely will continue to do so, to the extent feasible
- Those designated as essential or required employees are required to report to their workplace
If the University needs to close due to hazardous weather, the decision will be communicated through U of G Alert, on the intranet and on social media. The updated Hazardous Weather Policy is available on the HR website.
The University’s COVID-19 website is your best source of information on U of G’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Return to Campuses website provides essential information for those coming to campus. If you need to be on campus, make sure you complete the U of G COVID-19 Screening Form every day before you arrive.