Over 750 Mount Allison students successfully self-isolate on and off-campus in advance of Winter term

While the Mount Allison University and Sackville community safely welcomed students back to campus for the 2020-21 academic year in August, the close of the Atlantic Bubble in late 2020 brought some new challenges for students for the Winter 2021 term.

The University went from having just over 100 students self-isolating in residence in August to seeing several hundred from outside New Brunswick who would need to complete the 14-day self-isolation in January.

But Mount Allison is known for its community. In January 2021, over 750 students, including nearly 300 in residence, completed their self-isolation period in Sackville to enable a safe return to campus and the Sackville community.

2021 Mt. Allison self-isolation by the numbers:

• 272 students in residence self-isolation (double the amount of students in residence self-isolation in August)
• 131 were transported from the airport
• 12,978 meals delivered (in residence)
• 200+ special request food deliveries (in residence)
• 1,252 snack bags delivered (in residence)
• 300+ parcels delivered by the Bookstore
• 96 Books on Bed deliveries by the Bookstore
• 78 hours of outdoor time supervised
• 620 loads of laundry done
• 0 positive cases reported in residence
• 750+ students (residence/off-campus) monitored regularly during self-isolation

Working with Public Health, the University was also able to safely hold testing clinics for students in isolation on campus to enable minimal travel and contact during both self-isolation periods in advance of classes. 550 tests were completed at these clinics.

“These numbers represent an incredible amount of planning and support by Mount Allison staff and really speak to the nature of our university and wider community who regularly go above and beyond,” says Anne Comfort, acting Vice-President, International and Student Affairs at Mount Allison University. “On behalf of the University leadership team, I express sincere gratitude to everyone who assisted in these programs and to our students, whose resilience throughout the pandemic has been incredible.”

In addition to the January self-isolation period, Mount Allison also saw 29 students stay on campus over the holiday for the Winter Stay program, a record number of participants. Nearly $7,000 in vouchers were used at Sackville restaurants over the break, helping to support the local economy.

More information and updates about Mount Allison’s COVID-19 planning and procedures for the 2020-21 Academic Year can be found on the Campus Updates page.