Coronavirus: St. Lawrence College residences to be at reduced capacity come fall

St. Lawrence College says its campuses across eastern Ontario will be running at reduced capacity come the fall.

For the Brockville and Cornwall campuses, the college will be aiming to house about 50 per cent of their normal occupancy, whereas in Kingston, that number will be closer to 75 per cent.

The college says it will be prioritizing residence space for students who will be studying on campus over the 2020-21 academic year.

In May, in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, St. Lawrence College announced it would be aiming to deliver classes in a hybrid fashion, with 20 to 25 per cent of classes being held in person, and the rest delivered online.

The college says those plans have not changed.

“Those students that are on campus are primarily are in the health sciences, health-related type programs and our skilled technology and trade, so they’re given priority,” said St. Lawrence College president Glenn Vollebregt on Wednesday.

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The college said that plans are still fluid and that if COVID-19 case numbers rise locally and across the province, things could change.

As of Thursday morning, the Kingston region only has one active case of COVID-19.

The college listed the following added safety precautions for residences come fall:

• single occupancy rooms with private washrooms for each student
• enhanced and higher frequency cleaning focusing on high touchpoints
• residents will be required to wear masks in the corridors and public elevators
• guest restrictions will be in place for the start of the semester and reviewed as public health and provincial directives change
• lounges will be closed for the start of the semester
• residence life activities and community development will start in a digital format
• move-in days and procedures will be modified and spread out over a five-day period to allow for physical distancing
• food service on campus will be modified to ensure physical distancing