Two weeks, or not two weeks- that is the question:
When will Lakehead resume in-person classes?
On Friday, December 17thth, Lakehead University announced all classes will be delivered remotely for the first two weeks of the Winter term. Courses will still resume on January 10th as planned.
The decision to delay in-person learning was made in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. Lakehead made this announcement shortly after other Ontario Universities announced moving classes online for periods ranging from one week to nearly two months.
Western University in London announced that courses will be delivered remotely for the entire month of January. Similarly, in Ottawa, both Carleton University and the University of Ottawa will not return to campus until February 1st. Meanwhile, in Kingston, classes will remain online at Queen’s University until February 28th, after reading week.
Lakehead University stated that their intention is to resume in-person delivery of courses on Monday, January 24th, 2022, if the pandemic situation allows.
On January 3rd, Premier Doug Ford announced new restrictions for the province effective January 5th that will be in place for at least 21 days (until January 27th). These new measures include regulations for social gatherings, capacity limits for retail, restaurants closed for indoor dining, fitness facility closures, and remote learning for schools.
The 21-day timeline of these new restrictions does not line up with Lakehead’s proposed return date. With that, it is hard to say whether these two weeks will be extended. So far, Lakehead has not made any announcements. As we know, the pandemic situation is constantly evolving, and the best thing to do is sit tight and assess.
Netflix, Don’t Look Up
Looking at the brighter side of things, there are certainly some benefits to online classes in January. Think about those -30 mornings— you won’t need to scrape the frost off your car or freeze waiting at the bus stop! Those fuzzy pajamas you’ve been wearing for the past few weeks? You can keep wearing them!
On a serious note, the delayed return to in-person is also an excellent opportunity to consider getting your COVID-19 booster. Student Health and Wellness (Thunder Bay campus) offers COVID-19 vaccine boosters to eligible Lakehead students, faculty, and staff. They also continue to provide first and second doses of the vaccine. Appointments can be made by emailing covid.appointments@lakeheadu.ca.
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Please see the links below for more information and updates regarding COVID-19:
Lakehead University - COVID-19 Updates: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/about/coronavirus
Student Health and Wellness- Vaccination Information: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/students/wellness-recreation/student-health-and-wellness/about/covid-19-updates/covid-19-vaccine-info
Government of Ontario - Public Health Measures: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/public-health-measures
Thunder Bay District Health Unit: https://www.tbdhu.com/coronavirus
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit: https://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/Topics/COVID-19
Mental Health Resources:
Lakehead’s How to ask for Help guide: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/59/How%20to%20Ask%20for%20Help%20at%20Lakehead.pdf
Need to talk to someone right now? Good 2 Talk is a free, confidential 24/7 post-secondary student helpline. Call 1-866-925-5454 or text GOOD2TALKON to 686868.