Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
On March 4 the following email was sent to Waterloo graduate students
To: Graduate students
From: Kate Windsor, Director of Safety
Date: March 4, 2021
Subject: Changes to COVID safety protocols
As local public health guidance has recently changed, please be aware of two recent updates to safety protocols that affect anyone coming to campus.
Stay home if anyone you live with has symptoms
The COVID-19 Campus Check-In self-assessment that must be completed before accessing campus now includes the question: Does anyone in your household have COVID-19 symptoms or is anyone in your household waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms?
If you answer yes to this question, as with any other question in the self-assessment, you will fail the screening. This means you must self-isolate and contact your health care provider or Health Services via the University’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-833-UW-COV19 (1-833-892-6819).
Make sure you are wearing the right kind of mask
Starting March 8, 2021, we have new requirements for personal protective equipment for instructional areas and workplaces.
For most students, if you can keep two metres’ distance from others, non-medical masks are appropriate. In most classroom settings, you must bring your own mask or face covering. Your mask should be made of two or three layers of tightly woven material and cover the nose, mouth and chin. Using a filter as a middle layer in your non-medical mask adds an extra layer of protection.
Where physical distancing of two metres cannot be maintained, such as in some labs or clinical training, PPE is required. Your instructors or supervisors will identify when PPE is needed, provide appropriate PPE and communicate requirements for specific tasks.
You can find the full PPE guidelines on the COVID-19 website.
These protocol updates keep us in line with the latest recommendations and requirements from the Ontario Ministry of Health and are in place to keep campus safe.
Thank you for your continued work to protect yourselves and each other.
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
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 co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.