Queen’s is reporting 71 active cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday evening, including six in residence and 65 off-campus.
The University’s case tracker is showing 10 new cases during the week of March 22 to 28; one of these cases was identified in residence and nine off-campus.
“Over the last few weeks, Queen’s University has seen a significant rise in COVID-19 cases amongst our students,” Principal Patrick Deane wrote in a March 24 statement. “This began with an outbreak in our residences but we are now seeing cases both on and off campus.”
“Since the start of the pandemic, the University has worked in partnership with KFL&A Public Health, Kingston Police, the City, and Kingston Health Sciences Centre to promote awareness of public health regulations and respond to actions that put the health of the Kingston community at risk. On our campus, we have strict COVID-19 protocols in place both within the residence community and in other areas.”
Deane reminded students that asymptomatic testing is available at the Student Wellness Service (SWS) testing centre at Mitchell Hall. Students can book testing appointments Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Appointments can be booked by calling SWS at 613-533-2506; however, evening appointments—4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.—can also be booked through a new online portal.
“Being able to identify cases early and implement tracing is key to stopping the spread of the virus,” Deane wrote. –
Though Deane said the “vast majority” of Queen’s students are complying with the provincial government’s regulations and public health guidelines, he also acknowledged “the poor choices of a relatively small group of students” has influenced public perceptions of the student body.
“Queen’s students, like all residents of Kingston, are subject to government regulations and enforcement measures related to COVID-19,” Deane wrote. “Cases referred to the university from Kingston Police or City By-Law that involve students who are alleged to have violated public health measures are considered under the Queen’s Non-Academic Misconduct process.”
READ MORE: Kingston region moves into yellow zone
The University confirmed to The Journal that “a small number” of students have been evicted from residence, but wouldn’t discuss specifics.
A total of 194 cases have been identified at Queen’s since Aug. 31, including 25 in residence buildings and 169 off campus. The Queen’s community has ed for 21.7 per cent of all cases in the region since March 2020.
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There are currently 89 active cases in the KFL&A region. Since the pandemic was declared last March, there have been 881 cases, including 61 confirmed variant of concern cases and one death.
Variants of concern make up 42.1 per cent of cases reported with KFL&A in the last seven-day period ending on March 18, according to KFL&A Public Health.
The KFL&A region moved into the yellow zone on Monday due to the increase in positive cases.
“The Chief Medical Officer of Health has indicated that our numbers of infections are declining and that there is reason to be optimistic about any continued threat of spread of the virus,” Deane wrote.
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