Ringing in the new semester looked different this year for post-secondary students around Ontario, as the provincial government declared a state of emergency in response to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic on January 12. Since then, George Brown College (GBC) has experienced a series of positive COVID-19 cases amongst both staff and students in the community, with the most recent case announced on February 10. 

According to Jacqueline Abel, manager of health, safety, and wellness at GBC, there have been just over 130 confirmed cases since the beginning of the Winter 2021 semester. Of these numbers, Abel says that all of the cases have occurred from “individuals who came to campus and later found out that they were positive.”

“We don’t have as much visibility with what happens off-campus, and the social interactions that students may engage in,” says Abel. 

With a total of 2,803 students currently registered for on-campus/hybrid courses during the Winter 2021 semester, students from select programs continue to show up to campus for granted access and limited instruction that requires hands-on clinical or lab work. 

Abel says that the confirmed cases at GBC are reflective of what’s happening in the GTA currently, and the state of emergency within the city of Toronto. Despite these instances, however, she says it is safe to continue on-campus learning in select programs, as long as protocols continue to be followed. 

“Even when the numbers were at a peak in Ontario, we didn’t see on-campus transmission,” says Abel. “That really is a testament to the protocols that are in place, and the behaviours of everybody on campus as much as possible.” 

GBC has implemented a series of new preventative measures, along with traditional protocols from last semester to offset the further spread of the virus. 

“We made masks mandatory, we are encouraging physical distancing, classrooms are set up to encourage physical distancing, and there are circumstances where technology is being used to broadcast demonstrations on display terminals like TV screens so that people can still see a demonstration without having to be in close proximity,” says Abel.

With a limit of 10 people per classroom, students are also still required to remain at a six-foot distance from one another when attending classes. Healthcare programs, however, are permitted to up to 50 persons per classroom.

GBC’s new “wellness ambassadors” have also been a fundamental aspect in ensuring students follow proper social distancing protocols on campus, says Abel. 

“Recently, we brought in a wellness ambassador initiative, where we have employees who have been placed in the role of wellness ambassadors go to all of our campuses and review the common areas.”

These wellness ambassadors ensure that students are following proper COVID-19 preventative measures when outside the classroom on campus. 

“In the classroom, it’s a lot easier for faculty to oversee and support the physical distancing and mask use. When students and employees are on breaks, it’s a little more difficult in common areas to facilitate that. So, the wellness ambassadors are there  encouraging employees and students, they are reminding and promoting.”

Abel says that students on campus have recently been getting rewarded free GBC Huskies merchandise as a sign of appreciation for following proper social distancing protocols, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distances, and so on. 

“When they see that students are following protocols, they give it to them, because there’s been a lot in the media, about ‘you can’t do this, don’t do that’, and a lot of finger-wagging. But we really want to elevate and promote and encourage that people are doing the right thing, and I think that helps to spread the world as well.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic endures, Abel says it is important to encourage students to do the right thing. “This has been an evolving process for everybody,” she says. 

As for what the rest of the Winter 2021 semester will look like, Abel says that how programs are delivered in the future will depend on the direction provided by public health and the government. Programs in the Spring 2021 semester, beginning on May 10, will mostly remain online, however. 

For further information regarding COVID-19 cases at GBC, please visit George Brown College COVID-19 updates.