Dear students,
Our Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner, and traditionally it would be a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate and feast together.
Many students at NSCAD and other post secondary schools would normally travel outside of Nova Scotia for the long weekend. We must now think of Thanksgiving and all holiday plans within the priority of working together to prevent spreading COVID-19 as the pandemic’s second wave is well underway in Canada’s hardest-hit provinces.
When the start of the Fall semester raised concerns about out-of-province university students bringing COVID-19 into to Nova Scotia, you and your peers across the province responsibly followed public health directives to help keep the pandemic at bay and our communities safe. We have some of the lowest infection rates in the world thanks in part to your commitment to following the rules.
The few new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia have all been related to travel and have been contained by province’s self-isolation requirement for anyone coming from outside of the Atlantic Bubble. I ask you now to think about the risks of travelling out of province for any reason as many places in Canada are seeing a dramatic spike in new cases per day.
Choosing to not travel will help prevent new outbreaks, allow us to maintain the relaxed restrictions we currently have, and avoid the 14-day self-isolation required of anyone returning to the province after leaving the Atlantic Bubble. You can also take advantage of some great local eats and activities in Halifax and the surrounding area, and indulge in the renowned beauty of Cape Breton’s fall colours.
As always, I strongly encourage you to maintain the behaviours for safety outlined in our Code of Conduct Addendum, follow NS Public Health’s restrictions for gatherings, and also suggest that you consider downloading Canada’s COVID Alert app that lets users know if they may have been exposed to COVID-19. It is available for free download on the App Store and on GooglePlay.
If you have any questions abut travelling out of province for Thanksgiving or any other time during the semester, please contact the Office of Student Experience at ose@nscad.ca.
Wishing you a relaxing and safe holiday,
Dr. Ann-Barbara Graff
Vice-President (Academic & Research) and Provost
NSCAD University