MEMORANDUM

To:                   Dalhousie students, faculty and staff

From:               Verity Turpin, Vice-Provost Student Affairs (Acting)

Date:                Monday, January 11, 2021

Re:                   COVID-19 case identified in off-campus student community

Nova Scotia Public Health has informed Dalhousie University of a confirmed COVID-19 case among our student community living off-campus in Halifax. The student is self-isolating as required. We thank the student for seeking testing and wish them 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. Where there is potential community exposure, Public Health also issues exposure notifications. 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.

Going forward, information on all identified COVID-19 cases related to Dalhousie will be made available at dal.ca/coronavirus. Email notices will only be issued when there are cases with direct campus impacts (ie. in-person courses, on-campus employees or campus services).

A reminder to all to continue 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,

Verity Turpin
Vice-Provost Student Affairs (Acting)

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.