(File photo/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Cumberland College Safety Protocols

Cumberland College makes masks mandatory, prepared for potential second shutdown

Aug 24, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Post-secondary education will run in Melfort, Nipawin, and Tisdale for the fall semester, albeit with a different look.

As of Monday, Aug. 24, masks are mandatory for all students, staff, and instructors to wear where physical distancing cannot be practiced.

“It means that in all of our public and common areas, masks will be mandatory in places where we can’t safely, physically distance,” Cumberland College President Mark Hoddenbagh told northeastNOW. “Desks are in place that there is physical distancing. When you’re at your desk, you can potentially have your mask off. But as soon as you get up and walk around, you need to have your mask back on again. It’s best that we do our best to mitigate any risks within our college that we can.”

Along with masks being mandatory, Cumberland College has posted signage, directional markers, face shields, and warning signs throughout all their campuses. Hoddenbagh said the measures will be part of Cumberland’s policy for the foreseeable future, until the government updates its documents and health guidelines.

For students who aren’t comfortable with returning to in-person classes amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Hoddenbagh said there are alternative measures in place.

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“For some of our classes, we’ve cut down on the number of students we’ve admitted,” he said. “Most of our lectures will be online; they’ll be able to do it online if that’s their choice. There will be certain instances for some of the shops and healthcare labs where there will have to be face-to-face instruction because it’s hard to do that virtually. For those students, we’ll make sure we have the right measures in place between the masks and mitigating effects, to make sure they feel safe and comfortable.”

Regarding a potential second shutdown of in-person classes due to provincial health guidelines in midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Hoddenbagh said Cumberland is better prepared with online courses and lecturing, and instructors will still be able to provide the college’s programming.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow