MEMORANDUM  

To:                   Dalhousie students, faculty and staff  

From:               Frank Harvey, Provost & Vice-President Academic (Acting) 
                        Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President, Finance & Administration  

Date:               Tuesday, January 5, 2021  

Re:                  COVID-19 case identified in our residence community  

Yesterday, Dalhousie learned of a positive COVID-19 case in our residence community in Halifax. At the onset of symptoms, the student sought testing and informed the university upon a positive result. They are now in self-isolation as per our approved COVID-19 residence support plan. We thank the individual for taking immediate action and are supporting our student fully in what we hope will be a speedy recovery.  

When a new case of COVID-19 is confirmed, Nova Scotia Public Health works to identify and test people who may have come in close contact with that person. If you have not been contacted by Public Health you are not deemed to have been at risk. Public Health has informed Dalhousie that the potential exposure risk in this case is low. Any residence spaces accessed by this individual have undergone additional cleaning and sanitization, and Public Health has not identified any campus locations for an exposure notification at this time.

Respecting both privacy and public health matters, this is as much information as we can share.

Staff from our Student Health and Wellness teams in both Halifax and Truro are always available to support our students, at 902-494-2171 (Halifax) and 902-893-6369 (Truro), should they have any health concerns. Employees looking for any support are encouraged to speak with their manager/supervisor or connect with supports available through our Employee Family Assistance Program, which can be accessed at workhealthlife.com or at login.lifeworks.com. Employees can also contact Accessible Employment in Human Resources (Accessible.Employment@dal.ca) with any questions or concerns.

This case is an important reminder to all in our community of the importance of following all COVID-19 protocols. Furthermore, students entering Nova Scotia from outside Atlantic Canada must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival and, starting Jan. 4, should get one COVID-19 test on either day 6, 7 or 8 of their self-isolation. Please note that a testing site is located nearby at the Homburg Centre on Saint Mary’s campus located at 920 Tower Road in Halifax. To schedule your appointment please complete the COVID-19 self-assessment tool. Additional information can be found here.  

For COVID-19 updates and information for the Dalhousie community, visit dal.ca/coronavirus. For more information on COVID-19 protocols in Nova Scotia, visit novascotia.ca/coronavirus.

Thank you to all for your continued efforts to keep our community safe.  

Sincerely,

Frank Harvey
Provost & Vice-President Academic (Acting)  

Gitta Kulczycki
Vice-President Finance & Administration  

Dalhousie University is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. We are all Treaty people.  

We recognize the histories, contributions and legacies of African Nova Scotian communities which have been here for over 400 years.