The Royal Military College (RMC) will be sending the remainder of its student body home after the upcoming fall break to continue their studies remotely due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement from Brigadier General Sébastien Bouchard, Commandant of RMC, 300 first-year students were brought back to campus in early August to finish their academic bridging, to transitions from recruits to officer cadets, while the remaining 800 students were offered remote learning off campus.
Those who came to the school in late summer were told to self-isolate for 14 days, and to remain on campus at all times.
Now that the first-year students have completed their transition from recruit to cadet, Bouchard says instead of returning after fall break, which begins after Thanksgiving Monday, these students will be asked to stay off-campus to finish the rest of the semester.
“Amid persistent pandemic conditions, I see this as an opportunity to pre-emptively take action to help protect the ongoing health of our officer cadets, keep the force safe, and set the conditions for a successful winter term,” Bouchard said in a statement released Monday.
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Despite cases in the Kingston region remaining relatively low, with only 27 active cases locally as of Monday, COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically across the country, specifically in Ontario and Quebec, over the month of September and now into October.
The Commandant said the university would not be closing, and is aiming to have students back on campus come the winter semester.
“Planning is already underway for determining when, who and how cadets will return once pandemic conditions permit in the winter term,” Bouchard finished.
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