(Photo supplied by U of L)

By David Opinko

U of L shifting to online classes in January due to COVID concerns

Dec 22, 2021 | 10:34 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It is an announcement that many University of Lethbridge students will not be happy about, but one the school feels is necessary.

UPDATE: Lethbridge College announces programming changes in January due to COVID concerns

“Today, the University of Lethbridge, alongside the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, have decided the best approach to protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, is to start our respective January semesters primarily online and with continued safety measures on campus as needed. Therefore, all classes on both University of Lethbridge campuses will be online until January 21, 2022,” reads a release from the U of L.

The January 5 start date will not change, although professors will be given some flexibility to start later that week if they need more time making the transition happen. Professors will contact their students directly if their courses will be impacted.

The decision was made out of concern for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, “and while there are still more unknowns than knowns, the last few days have demonstrated how quickly it can spread within Canadian communities.”

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“Starting the semester online for a short period will allow our communities some certainty for the immediate future and also provide the time we need to assess the new variant’s impact on our communities, particularly after the holiday season from gatherings and travel. The move also supports our health system and reduces the number of people on our campuses to allow research, learning activities, and work required for operational continuity that cannot shift online to continue.”

In Alberta, the last few days marked the first time that daily COVID-19 cases were above 500 in at least a couple of months.

That prompted new targeted measures to be announced by the Alberta Government on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Daily cases rising in Alberta as 786 confirmed Tuesday

READ MORE: New temporary “targeted” COVID-19 restrictions announced for Alberta

The U of L says they will return to an in-person format as soon as it is safe to do so.

“Currently, the University is NOT closing its Lethbridge campus and student residences will remain open. Food services, sport facilities, the gym, and library will remain open as long as doing so is in compliance with provincial health directives.”

As the university’s goal is to reduce the spread of Omicron and COVID-19 in general, faculty and staff are being told to not plan any events on campus for the time being.

Policies such as mask-wearing and physical distancing are still in place and vaccinations are still being highly encouraged.