Case poses low risk to community, says Public Health
The first case of COVID-19 in the Mount Allison community was reported by public health on Tuesday.
University president Jean Paul Boudreau informed staff and students of the positive result in an email yesterday afternoon.
The case is travel-related and the person has been in self-isolation since their arrival in New Brunswick.
Boudreau says public health officials are completing a thorough interview in order to determine who was in contact with the person, who is nineteen years old or younger.
The university is cooperating by providing information to assist with contact tracing.
Public health officials have advised the university that the case poses a low risk to the campus community.
Currently all students living in residence and arriving from outside Canada and the Atlantic bubble are in isolation on campus.
Meal deliveries have been arranged by the university, and students in isolation receive scheduled, socially distant outdoor time. As well, Mount Allison orientation workshops and activities are all being offered online.
Last Friday, the university announced that all students from outside of Canada would have mandatory COVID testing immediately. They also strongly encouraged Canadian students from outside the Atlantic bubble to volunteer for testing.
One student from the US, interviewed by CHMA’s Meg Cunningham, was tested on Saturday. The university said testing would happen in conjunction with Public Health on Monday and Tuesday this week. Another round is being planned for September 1 and 2.
In Boudreau’s email, he says the university knows “this news, while not unexpected due the widespread impact of COVID-19, hits close to home for all community members.”
He urged university staff and students to “continue to be mindful of the benefits of continued vigilance.”
Anyone not contacted by public health authorities directly does not need to take any additional precautions.
