Questions?
Please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca.
Prior to the first class, you should devise a plan with your unit head (Chair/Director) about how to proceed with class instruction in the event you become unavailable. Should you become ill or unable to teach in-person, report the absence to your unit head so that the contingency plan can be implemented.
Students should be instructed not to come to class or other in-person activities if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or are required to self-isolate.
In the event of absence due to influenza-like illness or required self-isolation, students shall submit an Illness Self-declaration. Students can find the Illness Self-declaration form in the Personal Information section of Quest. A doctor’s note for accommodation is not required. Direct students to contact the COVID-19 Support and Advice line to report their illness.
To see which students have completed an Illness Self-declaration for your class, follow the Quest instructions.
COVID-19 absences of multiple students in a cluster or outbreak should be reported to the appropriate Chair or Head as directed by your Faculty (beginning of term memos from your Associate Dean will articulate details) The authority to move a course online or make any other alterations rests with the Dean or delegate. They may consult with Health Services' COVID-19 Support and Advice resources, the Safety Office and faculty stakeholders before making a decision to move a course online or implement any other mitigating action within a class or cohort of students. Review the student protocols.
These questions and responses are intended to provide guidance to instructors (who can share with TAs) on appropriate responses in the cases where there are heightened risks of COVID-19 exposure to the class.
No, it is the University’s responsibility to request and follow up on students’ vaccination status.
Since the University has removed our vaccination mandate starting May 1, supervisors or instructors are not able to independently set “local” vaccination proof requirements for their lab, class or other activities. We know that a significant proportion of our campus community is vaccinated due to our previous mandate – this level of vaccination offers a good degree of protection to the entire community.
TAs who receive this information must notify the instructor immediately, including the name of the affected student.
Due to high levels of COVID-19 in the community, Public Health is no longer contact tracing and has advised that students who have COVID-19 should notify their close contacts (close contacts can follow the flow chart (PDF)). The University will not automatically do contact tracing of all students. Classmates and instructors do not need to self-isolate and can continue to monitor for symptoms and follow public health advice.
Generally no, unless the situation is found to be high risk for the instructor or other students in the class.
If any changes to academic or other programming, or to any campus operations are required as a result of an outbreak on campus, the University will work to identify where those changes will occur, including consulting with local Public Health.
If you have symptoms, complete the COVID-19 self-assessment, and notify Occupational Health if the assessment indicates you should isolate or be tested.
If you have a positive COVID-19 test, report your absence to your supervisor (or their delegate), and report your positive test to Occupational Health.
You may be entitled for up to three days of paid infectious disease emergency leave because of certain reasons related to COVID-19; visit the Employment Standards Act (ESA) leaves section of the Human Resources website for more information.
Depending on your appointment length and type you may be entitled to sick leave credits; visit the Benefit Eligibility section of the Human Resources website for more information.
Generally, in-person classes do not need to be cancelled if it is possible for you and your supervisor to arrange a replacement instructor.
If the results of contact tracing determine that in-person classes should be cancelled, the instructor and departmental chair will be notified.
TAs who test positive or who have symptoms should contact Health Services via their COVID-19 Support and Advice form. Staff managing the form submissions will guide you through next steps.
TAs who test positive or who have symptoms should also report that they are unwell (without disclosing personal medical information) to the instructor and to their TA administrator such that actions can be taken to support the delivery of the course in the TA’s absence.
This is NOT a decision to be made unilaterally by a course instructor. If you have health and safety concerns specifically about the instructional space or class behaviour, your first step should be to discuss them with your department chair, who may consult offices that have influence over operations or the conduct that is causing concern.
If this does not resolve the situation:
Instructors or TAs may also contact a worker rep of the Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) for advice, or to request further consultation from the Safety Office. The University has a work refusal process to address unresolved concerns where work is thought to be unsafe after consulting with the chair.
Please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca.
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Office of Indigenous Relations.