Covid-19 Information and Resources

Return to Campus Committee has been meeting regularly to plan for a safe return of students and employees. The committee is following guidelines and directions provided by the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, and WorkSafe BC for British Columbia and by the Government of Alberta for Alberta.

Plans will continually be updated as new information becomes available.

As always, the health and safety of the CityU community is our top priority.

For British Columbia, CityU will continue to follow guidance from the Provincial Health Officer and WorkSafeBC. If the province moves to STEP 4 of the BC Restart Plan, we will move to STEP 4 accordingly.

STEP 4
September 7 -onwards

The guidelines include:

For Alberta, CityU will continue to follow guidance from the Government of Alberta.

The majority of course offerings will be in person, along with the majority of services and activities. Virtual Synchronous and Mixed-mode options will continue to be part of our delivery mode options. Because the Fall is still considered a transitional term and because guidelines from the government are changing continuously, we must remain flexible and adaptable should conditions change. As always, we will be following guidance from the Provincial Health Officer, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, WorkSafe BC and the Government of Alberta.

Returning to campus is both exciting and difficult as we’ve been away for so long. You’re not the only person feeling cautious about this return. Rest assured that CityU is following all COVID-19 safety guidelines. If you continue to feel anxious, our CityU Community is here to help, including counseling and 24/7 mental wellness support. Please review our Mental Health and Wellness section for more information.

The Return to Campus Guidelines highlights that while eliminating the COVID-19 virus will not occur in the near future, we can certainly adapt to living with COVID-19 as we do with other manageable seasonal diseases such as influenza or flu. If someone in the CityU community does get COVID in the Fall, CityU will follow the public health guidelines provided by the PHO and the Government of Alberta for reporting and notification. Preventing the spread of COVID-19 relies on everyone doing their part, including: immunization, daily self-administered health checks, staying home when sick, wearing masks when recommended by public health, and practicing hand hygiene.

At this time mandatory vaccination is not a policy for CityU in Canada, therefore having Covid vaccination is not currently required. However, this policy may change in response to government requirements or further developments. Staff, faculty, and students are strongly encouraged to get fully vaccinated, with two doses.

Students, staff and faculty with flu-like symptoms should stay home. If you have COVID-19 symptoms self-isolate, get tested and follow the instructions from the Public Health Office. Visit the B.C. CDC website and the Government of Alberta for information. 

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the number one thing to do is get vaccinated.

As the pandemic changes, CityU will continue to monitor closely and we are prepared to respond to changes in public health orders as they arise.

CityU is following guidelines closely with the Provincial Health Officer, WorkSafeBC, the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills, and Training’s Return to Campus Guidelines, and the Government of Alberta to support the healthy and safe return to campus.

If you have any questions you can email us at:

• Alberta Campuses: CovidResponseAlberta@cityu.edu
• British Columbia Campuses: CovidResponseBC@cityu.edu

Masks are now mandatory indoors. CityU will continue to follow the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendations in regards to masks and will communicate any changes in expectations as quickly and widely as possible.

Based on guidance from the Provincial Health Officer and the Ministry of Advanced Education, the majority of classes will return to in-person instruction for Fall 2021.

Instructors are only expected to deliver a course in the mode it was designated for: in-person, virtual synchronous, or mixed mode. Available supports will vary from course to course and be dependent on the length of illness, material being covered and attendance requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the instructor regarding illness that may prevent them from attending class. Decisions regarding attendance continues to be the discretion of instructors, and faculty are encouraged to be reasonable when dealing with absences.

The Primer indicates that classrooms will be able to be used to their full capacity in the Fall. While current expectations from the PHO are that there will be relatively few restrictions necessary, we must remain flexible and adaptable should conditions change. As always, we will be following guidance from the Provincial Health Officer, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, and WorkSafe BC.

The majority of courses in the Fall 2021 semester at CityU are currently scheduled to be in-person. Classes that are scheduled as “in-person” or “mixed-mode” require students to be here from the beginning of the semester. If none of your classes have in-class components that required you to be on campus and you choose to study online from your country, please review these considerations:

• Some courses have scheduled times and students are expected to be online in the sessions
• Please account for time zones when you select courses
• You will be required to stream videos and video conferencing
• You are responsible for all internet costs associated with your connections in your country
• If there are mailed materials required for the course, you may be responsible for additional costs of mailing outside of Canada. Some content posted by instructors can be restricted to viewing within Canada only. The government is aware that travel restrictions are limiting travel to Canada for some and they have adjusted the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility rules to allow time studying online to be counted towards eligibility. You can review Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) student updates to study permit processing, study while abroad, and PGWP eligibility here.

For the BA in Management (BAM) program, please note that it is planned for all classes to be “in-person” and hence students are required to be here from the beginning of the fall quarter

The Government of Canada has announced that fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to quarantine. They must fulfill all of the criteria below:

• Already be permitted to enter Canada
  • No tourists/non-essential visitors
  • Students with valid study permits are eligible
• Received 2nd dose at least 14 days prior to entering Canada
• Be vaccinated with one of the following: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
  • Can receive vaccine in any country
• Provide paper or electronic documentation of vaccination in either English, French, or with a certified translation
• Meet requirements of pre- and on-arrival testing
  • Need to have a negative COVID test no more than 72 hours in advance
  • Must take a COVID test upon arrival at the airport
• Be asymptomatic
• Provide COVID-19 related information through the ArriveCAN app prior to arrival in Canada
• Still have a suitable quarantine plan and be prepared to quarantine in case the border officer deems the requirements not fulfilled
• Still follow public health measures in place:
  • social distance
  • wear a mask in public
  • keep a copy of vaccine and test results
  • keep a close list of contacts for 14 days after entry into Canada

Currently, students who do not fulfill these criteria will need to quarantine fully, including the 3-night hotel quarantine if arriving by air.

Starting August 9, 2021, the government of Canada is eliminating the need for the 3-day quarantine. Unvaccinated travellers will need to complete a 14-day quarantine at a suitable location.

Vaccinations are encouraged but are not a requirement in Canada and not required to return to CityU in Canada. We base these recommendations on those of health authorities and their strategies towards mitigating risk as much as possible and for as many people as possible.

International students: Travel restrictions and exemptions

To be able to enter Canada as a student, you must meet 2 requirements:

1. You must have a valid study permit or a letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit
2. You must be attending a designated learning institution (DLI) with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by its province or territory

Even if you qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you must have a 14-day quarantine plan in place before arriving in Canada. The border services officers will make the final decision about whether you qualify as a fully-vaccinated traveller. For more information visit the Government of Canada website.

Yes. You are required to have a valid study permit throughout the duration of your program at CityU while you are in Canada. If you plan to study online from overseas and apply for a PGWP after graduation, you need to meet one of the following requirements:

1. have a valid study permit;
2. have been approved for a study permit;
3. have applied for a study permit before starting your study program and the permit must eventually be approved.