With fall long weekends and the semester break ahead, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind students, faculty and staff of our shared responsibility for health and safety on campus.

It is important that we continue to work together to keep each other and our extended families safe and healthy.

In recent weeks there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in certain areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as across Canada and beyond. Public health officials have stated that we are in the fourth wave of the pandemic, and therefore we must continue to remain vigilant and do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Students, faculty and staff who may be thinking of travelling inside or outside the province over the coming days and weeks should carefully consider plans and refer to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s COVID-19 website for up-to-date requirements for travel. Information on safe travel can also be found here.

Parts of the province with COVID-19 clusters and community transmission have moved to Alert Level 3, while other parts are in Alert Level 2. If you need to travel to a local area in a higher Alert Level, or to another province, please follow all precautions to keep yourself and others safe and avoid further spread of the virus. Wear your mask, wash your hands and keep a safe distance from others.

While vaccination rates are high among members of our community and masks are mandatory, we must continue to be cautious and keep each other and our extended families safe. Please keep contacts low over the fall semester break, and do not come to campus upon return if you have symptoms.

Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.