CMU suspends in-person classes for two weeks

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This article was published 05/11/2020 (2147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s code-red pandemic restrictions have put Canadian Mennonite University’s in-person classes on hold.

The university began the academic year with a hybrid model of in-person and online classes, said Terry Schellenberg, vice-president external.

“We knew from the start that could change” depending on the situation he said, adding things “were set up for us to shift, to pivot quickly at a moment’s notice. Code red is that moment.”

Although CMU has not experienced a single case of the novel coronavirus, it decided to shut down in-person classes for two weeks, “in order to do our part not to feed the spread of COVID on our campus or in the community,” he said.

“We want to be respectful about the seriousness of the pandemic and the reality facing our community today.”

The change applies to all classes, labs, lessons and ensembles. If there is a decrease in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in two weeks, the university could reopen for in-person instruction again by Nov. 16.

From the start of classes in September, CMU has “sought to meet and exceed the protocols and guidelines of Manitoba Health,” Schellenberg said, including a face-mask mandate for all students, staff and faculty on campus.

“I hear all the time students say they feel very safe here,” he said.

In an email to students, staff and faculty, CMU president Cheryl Pauls thanked everyone for their “outstanding” attention to “the safety, health and well-being of all. Your collective efforts have enabled us to learn well together and to sustain a remarkable record of health.”

“Let us follow the path set before us, and limit most of our connections during this red zone to virtual, very short indoor, and longer outdoor interactions. And may we take heart in the safe and creative ways we continue to connect and care for one another.”

— John Longhurst

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