New federal advisory against non-essential international travel
With announcements this week that the Government of Canada has reintroduced a global advisory against all non-essential international travel and reports of provinces considering capacity restrictions on large gatherings to slow the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, it is no surprise that many of our members are voicing concerns about potential lockdowns and classroom capacity reductions.
The situation is shifting rapidly, and it is difficult to predict how it will unfold in the coming weeks. At this time, we wish to assure members that we are in communication with provincial authorities to provide as much lead time as possible when introducing emergency health and safety measures that impact our members. Still, we recognize that the ministries responsible for oversight of our sector are often given little or no advance notice of directives coming from public health authorities.
For the information of our Ontario members, communication received today from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities indicates that they “haven’t heard anything about lockdowns, but rather there will likely be some communication to the sector that strongly recommends shifting to online where appropriate/possible.”
It would be prudent for all members to have plans in place to pivot to online or hybrid program delivery if/as required.
Sincerely,
Languages Canada
