New Provincial COVID-19 Measures & the U of A

Posted: November 24, 8:00 p.m.

Today, Alberta’s Premier declared a state of public health emergency and announced that the province will be implementing enhanced public health restrictions to help reduce the rising spread of COVID-19 within the province. As we have throughout the pandemic, the U of A community will do all that we can to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

As a result of the new and existing restrictions, we will be abiding by the following public health measures on our campuses:

• Classes & Exams: No change, will carry forward as currently planned unless otherwise indicated by your instructor. 
• Work from home: No change to current work locations for staff and faculty; however, wherever possible U of A faculty and staff who have been working on campus are strongly encouraged to work remotely until after the holiday break. This does not apply to individuals in positions that can only be achieved through in-person activity, such as grounds and maintenance. Please check with your supervisor to see if you should make the temporary switch to remote work.
• Masks: No change to current mandatory U of A mask policy; face masks are now also required in all indoor work spaces in the Edmonton and Calgary health regions. 
• Social gatherings: Effective immediately, no indoor social gatherings are permitted, and there is also a new limit of 10 people for outdoor gatherings; please note that work and support group meetings are not considered social gatherings, however attendance should be limited while public health measures are strictly followed.
• Sports: Effective Nov. 27, all levels of in-person team sport activities are suspended (professional, semi-professional, junior, collegiate/universities and amateur).
• Fitness: No changes, current restrictions and safety measures remain in place for campus fitness programs.
• Libraries: No changes to current library health and safety measures.
• Venues: Effective Nov. 27, banquet halls, conference centres, trade shows, auditoria and concert venues, non-approved/licensed markets, community centres will be closed to all in-person service for both the public and internal U of A activities.
• Dining: Only individuals from within the same household are permitted to dine together in groups. Groups should be no larger than 6 and individuals cannot move between tables.
• Business: Will be restricted to 25% capacity limits. 

As needed, additional details related to on-campus areas will be shared tomorrow (Nov. 25) with those groups directly affected, such as residents.

The complete list of provincial public health measures is available on the Alberta COVID-19 website. We encourage anyone impacted by the additional restrictions, like those related to K-12 schools, to speak with your supervisor (employees) or faculty/department student services office (students) if you believe you may need accommodations or modifications to help you through this time. 

The province will be re-evaluating the effectiveness of the public health restrictions in mid-December, at which time we will continue to adjust as needed.

Thanks go out to the whole of the U of A community for your compassion, patience, and adaptability as we all continue to do our part to help keep the community safe.