Western University has announced plans to move all in-person exams online as a precaution to keep students and staff safe with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
As of Tuesday, the university is dealing with two outbreaks in dormitories, one at Delaware Hall and one at Saugeen-Maitland Hall.
“While our case count remains low, we are watching what is happening across the country and have decided that some proactive measures are prudent against Omicron,” said Western President Alan Shepard.
The university reports that 99 percent of the community on campus is vaccinated.
The decision comes from other post-secondary institutions that have already made similar calls.
Read more:
St. Lawrence College Moves Exams To ‘Alternative Delivery’ As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Exams scheduled to begin December 15 and 16 will continue in person, unless students have been notified by their teacher directly, while those scheduled for December 17 to December 22 will be changed online.
The university said pre-scheduled online exams will go as planned.
“The decision to change the online exams was made to ensure that students and employees can enjoy the holidays by limiting in-person contact for the remainder of the quarter,” said Shepard.
“We recognize that this decision may be detrimental to some, but the health and safety of the Western community is our top priority.”
Read more:
Queen’s University Students May Postpone Exams Due to COVID-19 Anxiety
The move comes after the Middlesex-London Health Unit announced new public health recommendations to limit indoor social gatherings to 10 people, and advises people to work remotely, where possible, in an effort to reduce transmission.
The MLHU reported 71 new cases Tuesday with 475 active cases and 14,760 now resolved.
The university also notes that as of Tuesday there has been no evidence of COVID-19 transmission in classrooms.
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca