‘Phase Gold’ will re-open campus on April 29

Brandon University is continuing to safely re-open the campus in preparation for a fuller in-person experience this fall. The next step in our phased campus re-opening is Phase Gold, which will take effect as planned tomorrow (Friday, April 29) following the end of Winter Term.

Phase Gold means easing of some restrictions:

• We will unlock our doors to visitors and members of the public. Key fob or Student ID card access will no longer be required during regular business hours.
• We will no longer have a vaccine mandate for attendance on campus. The vaccine portal will be wound down.
• We will strongly encourage and support vaccination, including current and future boosters. Vaccination against Covid is the single most effective action you can take to protect yourself and your community.
• We will strongly encourage and support masks be worn indoors, but will no longer require them in all areas. Masks will help protect you from many airborne illnesses, as well as Covid.
• We will no longer enforce physical distancing and capacity limits.
• We will continue to welcome more employees back to campus and will be removing much of the Covid-related signage over the coming weeks.

Some Covid precautions will remain in place:

• We will continue our enhanced ventilation. Covid is believed to be mostly transmitted by air, and we will continue to protect our community by increasing the filtration and airflow indoors.
• We will continue to require self-monitoring for illness and symptoms. You should still stay home when sick. You may be able work from home, if arranged with your supervisor. Following public health recommendations, if you test positive, you can return to work after five days if you do not have a fever and if your other symptoms have improved.
• We will continue to provide sanitization stations at entrances and in some common areas for you to sanitize your hands or high-touch surfaces. Responsibility for classrooms, office spaces and the like will shift to individual departments, who can continue to order supplies through Physical Plant through the normal process.
• We will continue to monitor the Covid situation, as we monitor other potential risks to campus operations, and we will continue to fine tune our response as the situation warrants.

Why we’re changing things now:

We announced this plan in early March, noting that spring and summer are the ideal times to make this shift. They are slower terms for us, with fewer faculty, staff and students on campus. Much research is in the field. Outdoors becomes an option for some meetings. Many people are taking their vacations. There are fewer classes, and those that are held typically see less mixing.

This shift also matches what is happening in the wider community, meaning Brandon University will offer a campus experience that is similar to what anyone would expect to find elsewhere.

We know that some other institutions have extended or continued their mask mandates into the coming weeks, and some may prefer that BU had done the same. However, given concerns about enforceability, particularly in the absence of public health orders that require broad and consistent application, the decision is that a full mask mandate is no longer appropriate.

What we can all do to help:

Like our experience in the wider community, this means there will be differences in how individuals approach their own pandemic precautions. Thank you for continuing to be kind, for being understanding and compassionate, and for being respectful of the choices that others make.

For more:

Covid information will be updated at BrandonU.ca/Covid-19.

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