We promised that we would communicate with you by the end of January on our plans for the remainder of this semester. Ontario’s intention to begin easing COVID-19 restrictions on January 31, as well as our own ongoing review of campus operations, has prompted Centennial College to cautiously begin easing access to our campuses while still enforcing all public health measures.
Classes and Labs
While we’re optimistic that this wave of the pandemic is beginning to ease, out of an abundance of caution and with an eye towards creating as little disruption as possible for our students and colleagues during the semester, the College will proceed as follows:
- The majority of non-lab classes will continue to run online until the end of the Winter semester.
- In-person labs, clinics, and studios will continue, for the most part, to be run in-person, with additional labs, particularly baking, culinary and hospitality labs within the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts (SHTCA) moving to in-person learning beginning in February after Engagement Week, which runs from February 21 to 25. Professors from these impacted labs will be reaching out to students directly in the coming weeks to inform them of these changes. A complete list of updated program modalities will also be available on our website early next week.
Athletics and Campus Services
The College plans to move forward with a limited reopening of fitness facilities at Progress (AWC), Ashtonbee, Morningside and Story Arts campuses, at 50 per cent capacity, as well as a safe return to Varsity sports in the Winter semester, commencing on Monday, January 31. These plans are consistent with Ontario’s plan to begin easing COVID-19 restrictions and are subject to provincial and public health guidance.
The Local Restaurant and Café at Progress Campus will also begin a phased re-opening as of January 31. More details can be found on their website. The majority of student services will continue online, though ancillary services, such as food outlets, bookstores, myCard and parking are available and all service operations will be reviewed and adjusted as people return to campus.
We will also continue with existing health and safety measures, including:
- Full vaccination (currently defined as two shots) for campus entry– please see the following for our Immunization Policy.
- Completion of online/in-person screening at designated and secure entry points.
- Three-layer disposable masks will be provided for students at all entry points. We strongly recommend anyone on campus wear a multi-layer mask. Multi-layer masks provide increased protection as opposed to single layer masks, as per Toronto Public Health.
- HVAC (heating, venting and air conditioning) standards have been maximized by (a) running for an extended period each day, and (b) air flushing before and after occupancy in each room.
We would also again strongly encourage all of you who are eligible and able to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as it is our best defence as a community and a society against COVID-19.
We would like to again thank all of our students, colleagues and community members for your continued patience as we work to safely bring more people onto our campuses over the coming months.