
StFX COVID-19 warning; CIGO file photo
The mayor of the Town of Antigonish says there is concern with StFX‘s upcoming winter term.
Laurie Boucher says they’ve gone through the process of students returning to the community before, and it was effective in September.
After November’s regular town council meeting Monday night, Boucher said she recognizes there are other factors this time around.
“Now, when (they’re) coming in January, there’s a different set of circumstances,” she said. “The numbers are higher across Canada.”
Boucher said the same protocols should work again if everything is done right.
She said some people are concerned, but others are glad they’ve already gone through it, and they’re not starting from scratch.
Boucher said university officials will once again go to community members to ask for their help with students who have to self-isolate for 14 days when they return, as they did in September.
“The temperature of the community was pretty high coming in, (but) a lot of people did step up and try to help the students as well,” she said. “The success of the university is also the success of the community.”
Town councillors voted to send a letter to their provincial counterparts to ask for increased testing of students when they return to campus.
Boucher said students were tested three times during their 14-day isolation in September, and councillors would like something similar in January.
She said overall, she’s confident in the plan, which was developed in consultation with the province’s public health officials.