Earlier today, in response to rising COVID case counts and hospitalizations related to the Omicron variant, the provincial government announced a move to a modified Stage 2 of its reopening plan. The announcement includes several time-limited measures for K-12 schools, businesses and other sectors.

Niagara College is reviewing today’s announcement and awaiting further information on any measures for postsecondary education that may impact our current plans for Winter 2022 Term delivery, and further updates will be provided as information becomes available. Niagara College had previously announced the temporary move of non-essential labs to online delivery for the start of term.

Among the measures announced by the province today is for all non-essential work to be performed remotely wherever possible for the duration of the order, which is expected to be in place until at least January 26, 2022. Only those Niagara College employees whose work is essential and cannot be performed remotely are to come to campus, including those delivering on-campus programs or services. Employees will receive further information from their manager.

Important changes to testing/isolation requirements

On December 30, the province of Ontario announced changes to testing and isolation requirements including:

  • PCR testing is now available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings, as well as vulnerable populations. Members of the general public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing. If you have symptoms, or have come into contact with a positive case, assume you are positive and isolate;
  • The province has changed the isolation period to five days after the onset of symptoms for individuals who are fully vaccinated, as well as children under 12. Their household contacts are also required to isolate with them. These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed. Non-household contacts are required to self-monitor for ten days.

Please monitor www.niagaracollege.ca and Niagara College’s social media channels regularly for further updates.