Latest COVID-19 Updates

Dear King’s students,

There have been many COVID-19 updates since cases began to rise in Nova Scotia last week. I know this is a lot to absorb. To help you keep up to date, please read the points below and be sure to follow the guidelines if you’re planning to travel.

The Province has informed us that students cannot travel to Nova Scotia in the spring if not attending classes until the fall semester. If you are not a permanent resident of Nova Scotia or you are not enrolled in summer classes, you can be refused entry at the border.

Please note, this information below relates to current semester pick-up or drop offs:

• Students coming to attend a NS post-secondary institution (e.g. for summer courses) or returning to their permanent family residence in Nova Scotia can enter the province. They must self-isolate for 14 days.
• Those who are dropping off/picking up a student from within Nova Scotia, must travel directly to the place of residence, make minimal stops, and follow public health directives (wear a mask, social distance, wash hands), and then return home as soon as possible.
• People can enter the province to pick up or drop off post-secondary students. Other than during the brief drop off/pick up, they must self-isolate while in Nova Scotia – it is ok to enter and leave the province the same day.
• People bringing post-secondary students home can enter the province. They must self-isolate for 14 days. If they’re coming from New Brunswick, they can follow the NS NB travel protocol instead.
• Students must isolate in a separate space, although they can have a shared bathroom with others in the household as long as it is cleaned between uses. If this cannot be done, the entire household must isolate from each other. The same is true for people who bring students home (unless they are coming from NB in which case they can follow the NS NB travel protocol).
• People from outside Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are not allowed to enter Nova Scotia unless their travel is considered essential, or they are permanent residents of NS.

You can follow @nsgov and @novascotiahealthauthority on Instagram for frequent COVID-19 updates. As we know, these restrictions are subject to change.

More information will be shared over the summer in anticipation of welcoming you back to campus in the fall. If you have questions about COVID restrictions, visit the NS COVID website, including the page for post-secondary students, or email postsecondary@novascotia.ca.

There is community spread in the Halifax area. It’s important to get tested and diligently follow the current Public Health restrictions.

• If you don’t have any symptoms, visit one of the rapid pop-up testing sites.
• If you have a mild symptom, were at an exposure site or are close contact of a positive case, book a test online.

This is a challenging time. Please take care of yourselves—there are supports and services available year-round—and be kind to those around you.

Thank you,

Katie

Katie Merwin
Dean of Students
University of King’s College

Dear King’s community,

I write to inform you that we have received notification of a confirmed case of COVID-19 involving a person who had been on campus in recent days. All of the person’s contacts have been informed and are now self-isolating for 14 days. If you have not been contacted, you do not have to self isolate or be tested, however, we are asking you to continue to follow all applicable public health orders and university policies as overviewed in recent emails, which you can read on the COVID-19 resource centre pages of the website.

We are thinking of the person who has tested positive, that person’s family and close contacts and all those in isolation. We wish for everyone’s health and well-being.

Please remain vigilant with your personal health and safety protocols.

Thank you,

Bonnie Sands

Dear colleagues,

King’s is committed to helping in the fight against COVID-19 and to supporting members of the College as they make their contributions and manage the issues the current surge in cases creates for them. I would like to reiterate Dolly’s message from yesterday that time off with pay will be accommodated for anyone:

• Going to be tested
• Going to volunteer at a testing site or in another way
• Going to be vaccinated

Please reach out to your supervisor or program director to discuss a date and time that is best for you and your department or program.

As stated in my Friday message, we recognize that with the temporary closure of schools, the parents among us will be giving priority to ensuring their children are taken care of. The necessary flexibility in work hours will be provided. Please contact your supervisor or program director to discuss options.

I would also like to reiterate that we would like everyone who can work from home to do so in accordance with our own safety plans and the guidance that has been provided by Dr. Strang for all of us to stay home as much as possible during this state of emergency.

We thought it would be useful to share again the following information, with some modifications to reflect the current situation, on how we will respond if we have positive cases in our community, which we previously shared with you on September 25, 2020:

1. COVID-19 Symptoms

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, call 811 and follow all instructions from Public Health exactly, including self-isolation if so directed.

If you are on campus when you are directed to self-isolate or have been on campus in the days before you have been directed to self-isolate, we encourage you to inform HR (Dolly McIntyre) that you have been directed to self-isolate. This will allow us to ensure any areas where you were present on campus are properly cleaned and placed off-limits until they can be cleaned. It will also allow us to ensure we have gathered all contact tracing information so that it is ready to be provided to Public Health if it is required.

2. Self-Isolation

When self-isolating:

• Follow Public Health’s guidelines for self-isolation. If you need accommodation or other assistance, please speak with your supervisor or program director or HR.
• If you are able to work from home, do so in coordination with your supervisor or program director.
• If you are unable to work from home, you should inform your supervisor that you are ill and cannot work, as per any other illness that keeps you away from work. Standard HR practices for medical documentation will not apply.

3. Positive Diagnosis and Contact Tracing

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, we encourage you to inform HR (Dolly McIntyre), although you are under no obligation to do so. As stated above, this will help the university to ensure any areas where you were present on campus are properly cleaned and put off-limits until they can be cleaned. We will also use this information to assist Public Health if requested. Under some circumstances, Public Health may inform the university of a COVID-19 diagnosis without the permission of the employee.

As with any employee who has been directed to self-isolate for testing, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should follow the direction they receive from Public Health, which will include self-isolation. If your job and your condition allow you to work from home, do so in coordination with your supervisor or program director. If you cannot perform your job from home or your condition means you cannot work, you should inform your supervisor that you are ill and cannot work, as per any other illness that keeps you away from work. Standard HR practices for medical documentation will not apply.

The university will fully cooperate with Public Health when we have a case of COVID-19, including by providing all contact tracing information in its possession, whether collected through the routine operation of our COVID-19 safety plans or gathered from after the fact information gathering. Departments and programs will be asked to provide the contract tracing information in their possession. You may be individually asked to assist by providing any other contract tracing information you may have. Please cooperate and follow all instructions, including to self-isolate if directed to do so.

4. Risk of Exposure

In following up on a case of COVID-19, Public Health will:

• Consult with the individual to understand contact points and direct the individual to self- isolate for 14 days.
• Contact those who were in close proximity with the individual to inform them of the potential connection and that they should also self-isolate for 14 days.
• Recommend that those contacted continue to monitor their health for symptoms and take appropriate action if concerns arise by calling 811 for assessment.

If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are NOT considered to have been exposed.

In some situations, Public Health may make a general announcement where the potential exposure is of a wider scope, or by directing the university to do so. This is discussed further below.

5. Addressing Concerns About Workplace Safety

If you feel that your workplace is unsafe due to a COVID-19 related concern, or for any reason, please inform your supervisor and cooperate with them to resolve the matter. Depending on the circumstances, assistance in resolving the situation should be sought from whoever is in a position to help, including from whoever has responsibility for any part of the situation that goes beyond the supervisor’s responsibility. This may include the Director of Facilities, the Human Resources and Compensation Officer, or the Dean of Students for issues involving students, among others. In addition, please note:

• Support for resolving safety issues is available from the OH&S Committee. All groups on campus have an OH&S representative who can help, plus the others already mentioned above.
• Safety matters that cannot be resolved at the supervisory level can be taken to the OH&S committee, either by the employee or supervisor.  If not resolved by the OH&S, the issue can be escalated under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to the Department of Labour.

6. Communications

In all instances, the university will follow the directive of Public Health in its COVID-19 related communications.

In its communications with the university, Public Health has privacy protocols to protect those concerned. Most importantly, Public Health does not identify the person or persons who have tested positive unless it has to in order to ensure the safety of others.

Our default approach is that we will not be making general announcements when employees (or students) have symptoms, test positive or are told by Public Health to stay home or to self-isolate. This may differ from the approach in other organizations, particularly larger organizations such as Dalhousie, where there is less risk of disclosing a person’s identity by announcing someone has, for example, tested positive.  In a smaller university such as King’s, it can be easier to connect a general announcement that there is a positive case – or other event – to specific circumstances and to particular people.

In place of general announcements, we will typically rely on direct conversations with the people who are possibly affected and who have a right to be informed. I reiterate: If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are NOT considered to have been exposed.

The exception to direct person-to-person communications will be where a general announcement, or other kind of wider communication, is required to ensure the health and safety and/or the peace of mind of members of our community, or of the wider community. An example could be a situation of a larger outbreak of COVID-19. If there is a need to communicate in this way, our communications will follow Public Health directives and guidance and will guard the privacy of all involved to the maximum extent possible.

Because of our association with Dalhousie University, in most cases we will continue to share Dalhousie University’s communications about COVID-19, including its communications on specific cases. These communications are otherwise seen by some but not all of our community.

7. Core Public Health Messages

If you are on campus for any reason, please remember these important safety measures:

• Wear masks indoors and outdoors in situations now covered by our safety plan and public health orders, and be advised to double them.
• Indoors, follow directional floor markings
• Practice physical distancing – even outdoors and wear a mask outside when distance is not possible
• Do not gather or congregate
• Wash your hands regularly and carefully

When you are off campus, follow all public health guidance and requirements, for your health and those around you and to reduce the risk of bringing the virus onto campus.

If you have questions, please follow up with your direct supervisor or program director or, in the case of matters within her responsibilities, with Dolly McIntyre.

Once again, thank you for your continued cooperation as we all work to keep each other and our families and students safe while we pursue our mission of being a community of care and concern for each other and our wider community.

Bill
William Lahey
President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear King’s students,

Throughout this pandemic, we have seen how responsible you are, following public health directives on campus and within our community. We are very proud of you and what you have contributed to helping keep Halifax, a place many of you call home, safe.

You may have seen the unsafe behaviour by some in our city, including young people identified as Dalhousie students, in the news and on social media over the weekend, who chose to gather in a large group for a party. Last week, the government imposed a four-week lockdown across HRM after COVID-19 cases grew to double digit daily increases. Active cases are now higher than at the beginning of the pandemic in Nova Scotia and indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to five people. Gathering in large numbers not only increases your risk – it also increases the risk of those you care about.

I know you understand how serious this behavior is, especially when there is confirmed community spread and increasing numbers of variant strains in Halifax. But I must nevertheless emphasize that disrespecting gathering limits or any of the important public health measures is unsafe and irresponsible, as well as illegal under the current orders of the Nova Scotia Health Protection Act. Violations of such laws, or any federal, provincial, or municipal statutes, are also contraventions of the University’s Code of Conduct and can result in further disciplinary action.

If you have been to an exposure site, follow Public Health direction to self-isolate until you test negative. If you have many contacts through work or socializing, recently gathered in a group larger than five, or just want peace of mind knowing your health status, get tested. Nova Scotians came out in droves over the weekend to get tested. You can join this movement by getting tested to help turn the tide of Nova Scotia’s third wave, or to help wherever else you may be calling home right now.

Sincerely,

Bill
William Lahey,
President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Following the notice by Dr. Strang yesterday about today’s new COVID restrictions I have a few updates and reminders I wish to share.

In terms of our facilities, the gym is now closed.  You have already heard from the library. Residence students will be hearing from the residence staff soon if they have not already.

There are not many other changes called for, given that we have for the whole year been operating under safety policies and practices that have consistently given priority to protecting health and contributing as Haligonians to Nova Scotia’s beautiful response to the pandemic.

Our revised policies, in compliance with the new public health orders and deliberations of our Occupational Health and Safety Committee, limit gatherings in or outdoors, to five physically distanced people. Masks will now be worn outside wherever 2 metres of social distance cannot be maintained. Doubling your masks when on campus—and maybe whenever you are out and about—is encouraged.

I remind all faculty and staff that we again request that all who can work from home, do so. Our strategy of limiting the number of people on campus at one time is as important as ever, as the virulence of the virus grows and as we continue to have students and others living on campus and some staff working on campus.

We recognize that with the temporary closure of schools, the parents among us will be giving priority to ensuring their children are taken care of. The necessary flexibility in work hours will be provided. Please contact your direct supervisor to discuss options.

Today’s changes are, like others, falling heavily on our students, who have finished their difficult years only to find themselves in lockdown here or elsewhere. I am particularly sad for our Halifax-based graduating students who have lost the planned opportunity to have pictures taken in the Quad and to gather once again, 30 at a time, in the ‘Wardy.’ Inadequate as it may be, I say to you on behalf of all the rest of us that we are broken hearted for you.

I am sure we all took note yesterday when Dr. Strang said he was “scared” because of the new variants and the speed with which they are now spreading in Halifax. He has never used this kind of language before. More than the growing number of cases per day, this shows how serious the COVID 19 situation in our city has suddenly become.

Hard as it will be when we are all tired after a long and difficult year of endless “compliance” at the cost of so much in our lives, I hope we can all take encouragement and inspiration for what we now have to do from all that we, and the whole of Halifax, have achieved over the year with our compliance and care and concern for each other.  With population immunity through vaccination on the near horizon, I am very confident the people of Halifax and of Nova Scotia, including all of us in the King’s community, can once more do what is needed and what Dr. Strang has asked from us when it is both so badly needed and so likely to get us to a beautiful summer of relative normalcy.

Thank you all for everything you have done and continue to do to contribute to the solution to a challenge that can only be met by our collective action for each other. Stay safe and well, and in good spirits as we look forward to once again being a community of physical togetherness in the fall.

Thank you,

Bill
William Lahey,
President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear King’s community—and especially current and future students,

It is pure joy to write this note about the coming academic year. The good news is that teaching and learning, and our communal life in general, will once again be largely in person this fall.

Today, President Deep Saini announced Dalhousie University’s intentions for the fall. Because of our close association, we have necessarily waited for Dalhousie’s announcement of its plans to finalize our own. Dr. Saini’s announcement gives us clarity: Dalhousie’s goal is to safely open their campuses to students, faculty and staff this fall.

That is also the goal of King’s. There are still many conversations and consultations, including between King’s and Dalhousie, that have to happen before we can provide details on all the measures we will need to take to ensure in-person operations happen safely. But we will ensure they do.

These conversations and discussions, and the detailed plans they produce, will all unfold under the umbrella of the common safety framework that has been developed through the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents. This framework is being reviewed by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education and will then be put before Dr. Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, for his review and approval. It envisages in-person operation by all universities, subject to adoption and implementation of safety measures to manage the reduced risk of COVID infections that will remain after population-level immunity has been reached and maintained through vaccination.

The bedrock of this framework is Nova Scotia’s continuing success in keeping the virus under control, combined with its plan to make first vaccinations available to everyone in the province 16 years or older by June 30. We can all do our part in creating the conditions needed for safe return to in-person teaching and learning and campus life by being vaccinated when the opportunity is made available to us and by continuing to adhere to all public health requirements. The province’s vaccination plan includes all students in Nova Scotia, including international students, and we are expecting arrangements to be made to make vaccination available to students arriving in Nova Scotia for the new academic year in circumstances that will be determined by Public Health. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

In tandem with Dalhousie’s message this is what we can announce today, while more detailed planning continues:

King’s will be safely open and, with a few exceptions, courses will be in person this fall. Revised safety plans will allow us to hold our classes in person, even for larger classes (100+). Each of our programs is in the planning process to make this happen. The Foundation Year Program intends to be teaching and learning in person, for both lectures and tutorials, while making available the option of a program of online tutorials and lectures for those who want to complete the program online. The School of Journalism’s undergraduate programs will also primarily return to normal, face-to-face instruction in the fall. The same is true for our upper year humanities programs.

The academic timetable will have to be reconfigured to ensure safety is built into our transition back to in-person teaching and learning. It will look different from what we are all familiar with.  The full academic timetable will be available to students in late May ahead of course registration in June. Advisers in the Registrar’s Office will be available to help students navigate their way through the revised timetable.

Our decision to return to in-person classes will reduce the barriers international students have faced in coming to King’s. We will work with Dalhousie, other universities and governments to help international students make their way through the immigration process, appreciating the unique challenges many are facing at this time.

Residences and Prince Hall will be open at a greater capacity than they were this year. We hope to provide more details to students and prospective students who have applied to residence for the upcoming year in the near future.

Student services and student life will return to on-campus activity to the greatest extent safely possible, including in the Offices of the Registrar and Bursar, the Library, Gym, Chapel and President’s Lodge. Decisions on Athletics will be made at the conference level but we are confident the Blue Devils will be once again competing against other universities.

The Wardroom, Galley and Co-op Bookstore will be able to operate in person with safety plans.

Faculty and staff will be returning to campus, with a phased return starting this summer.  One of the questions we will have to address is the balance we strike on a continuing basis between the work that can be done at home, where that is feasible and preferred, and the work that should or must be completed on campus.

Our return to college life will be safely accomplished by following all Public Health requirements and King’s own to-be-developed safety protocols. This is likely to include, among other measures: physical distancing of less than six feet in classrooms and other spaces; wearing of masks in some settings (including classrooms) and encouragement of mask wearing elsewhere; continuing self-assessment for COVID-19 symptoms by everyone; maintaining contact tracing measures and processes; ongoing improvement of ventilation systems and procedures; and perpetuation of efforts to encourage frequent hand washing and the following of other personal safety measures by everyone. Enhanced cleaning of campus spaces, particularly surfaces, will continue. The continuation of some level of working from home, where that is feasible and desired, will itself provide a measure of protection. Under discussion are other options, such as keeping all or most meetings online.

All of this, including our plans for the return of faculty and staff to campus, will involve detailed planning, many of it in programs and departments and some at the college level, sometimes in collaboration with Dalhousie. As with the approach we took last year in preparing for a mostly online year, we will work to ensure alignment between these two levels of planning. This will happen primarily through our OH&S Committee, which will review both sets of plans, and which has done such outstanding work over the past thirteen months.

As general as it is, I hope this comes as welcome and happy news. I am thrilled to be able to share it with you. Please monitor your email or visit the King’s website for future updates. I look forward to working with everyone on all we have to now do to ensure we transition back to in-person teaching and learning and campus life while continuing to make the health and safety of everyone our overriding priority.

Sincerely,

Bill

William Lahey,

President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear King’s students,

On behalf of everyone at King’s and on this last day of classes, I wish you good luck on your final exams and in finishing your papers and assignments. You have all had to work incredibly hard this term and over this year under many constraints and in the face of many difficulties. I hope this gives you confidence as you approach the remainder of your academic work.

We are all incredibly proud of you for all you have overcome, accomplished, and contributed to each other and all those around you. Each of us measures success in our own way. I believe it includes the obstacles we overcome in trying to succeed at whatever we apply ourselves to. By that measure, you have all distinguished yourselves throughout this challenging year.

Our admiration for you will always be at the top of our shared memories of this singular year in the history of our College.

Kindest regards,

Bill

William Lahey
President and Vice-Chancellor

Below is a message from Dalhousie that is a reminder about the academic supports and grading options available to students as we near the end of this term. We sent this information to you before but wanted to share the key points once again so they are top of mind:

• The PASS/ILL option allows a standard letter grade to be converted to either “PASS” or “ILL” and is available for Winter 2021 courses. The deadline to apply for a PASS/ILL grade for winter 2020-21 courses is June 1, 2021. The application will open in DalOnline on April 5, 2021.
• Please refer to our End of Term Grading Options page for more details about the course grading options available to you and please seek academic advice if you have questions or concerns (registrar@ukings.ca).
• You have the option to withdraw from a winter term course with a grade of W until April 8, 2021.
• If you have questions about how PASS/ILL affects your scholarship standing, please contact Cathy at awards@ukings.ca.
• If you have any concerns about exams, be sure to reach out to your professor in advance.

I know it is a stressful time of term and that this year has brought many unique challenges. Information on the many wellness supports available to you can be found here.

Please take care and reach out with any questions or concerns you may have (registrar@ukings.ca).

Sincerely,

Julie Green
Registrar
University of King’s College

Dear King’s students,

You will find below some important information regarding the change to the registration period for the 2021/22 academic year. Registration will now occur in June. Here are the key points you should know:

• The upcoming 2021/22 academic timetable will be available in May 2021.
• Registration will open for King’s Graduate level students on Saturday, June 5 (10 a.m. AST) and for returning King’s Undergraduate students on Sunday, June 6 (beginning at 10 a.m. AST) – (registration will open in two-hour intervals).
• Your registration time will be available in Dal Online.
  The timing of registration has shifted in response to the uncertainty posed by COVID-19.
• Following the posting of the timetable in May, students are encouraged to seek academic advising about course selection, registration and their degree plan. The advising team can be reached at registrar@ukings.ca.

As always, we look forward to supporting you as you plan your academic future and adapt to the challenges of being a student during this difficult time.

Thanks,

Julie

Julie Green
Registrar
University of King’s College

MEMORANDUM

To: Dalhousie students

From: Adam Robertson, Assistant Vice Provost (Student Affairs) and University Registrar

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Re: Fall course registration for returning students

Due to the uncertainty and continuously changing restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, course registration for the 2021–22 academic year will open in June 2021. This timing change will allow Dalhousie to be as accurate as possible with the upcoming academic timetable, which will be available to students in May 2021.

Registration open dates/times for returning students:

Saturday, June 5 (10 a.m. AST) – Graduate Students, Health, Engineering, Agriculture

Sunday, June 6 (beginning at 10 a.m. AST) – All other undergraduate programs (registration will open in two-hour intervals)

Monday, June 7 (9 a.m. AST) – Medicine, Dentistry

Tuesday, June 8 (9 a.m. AST) – Visiting students

Various dates in June/July – Law

We recognize this is a challenging time for everyone. We will continue to provide up-to-date information about the fall semester, including information on the return-to-campus plan and in-person classes, as soon as it becomes available. As communicated in January, our hope is that many tutorials, labs, and small-to-medium-sized classes (of less than 100 students) will be able to be offered safely in person.

If you have any questions about course registration or important dates, please email registrar@dal.ca or visit dal.ca/registrar for more information.

Sincerely,

Adam Robertson
Assistant Vice Provost (Student Affairs) and University Registrar