Given the prevalence of the virus right now, there’s a real possibility that you have COVID-19 if you are showing one or more of these symptoms. As only priority groups can currently access PCR testing, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should either use a rapid antigen screen (where available) or stay home as a precaution.

Brock community members who test positive, who live with someone who has tested positive, or who have COVID symptoms should follow the guidance provided by Niagara Region Public Health, which can be found here.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, it is important that you do not visit campus.

If you test positive for COVID-19 with a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test, you must stay home and self-isolate. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and do not have access to testing, you are to assume that you have COVID-19 and also must stay home and self-isolate. Please visit the Niagara Region Public Health website (or if outside Niagara, the appropriate Public Health Unit with jurisdiction) for the most up to date instructions. Students should contact Student Health Services (covid19@brocku.ca) for support. Staff and faculty should contact Human Resources (employeehealth@brocku.ca).

If you test positive for COVID-19 with a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test, you must stay home and self-isolate. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and do not have access to testing, you are to assume that you have COVID-19 and also must stay home and self-isolate.  Please visit the Niagara Region Public Health website (or if outside Niagara, the appropriate Public Health Unit with jurisdiction) for the most up to date instructions. Students should contact Student Health Services (covid19@brocku.ca) for support. Staff and faculty should contact Human Resources (employeehealth@brocku.ca).

Niagara Region Public Health are asking individuals who have a confirmed PCR, Rapid Antigen Test or are symptomatic to identify contacts. A contact is anyone who was less than two metres away even for shorter periods of time in the 48 hours before you developed symptoms. If you don’t have symptoms, consider yourself infectious for 48 hours before your test. Please reach out to your contacts and let them know about your situation.

When possible, you may receive an email to Brock University account notifying you of a possible contact.

Beginning Sept. 6, masks will be required in all instructional spaces, including classrooms, lecture halls, seminars, teaching labs, and other spaces when teaching by instructors is taking place.

All masks worn must be medical grade, a decision reached in consultation with the Brock University Faculty Association and other stakeholders. Fabric face coverings such as buffs, gaiters and bandanas do not satisfy the masking policy requirement at Brock.

Medical masks are also required in shared research space, as outlined in the relevant section of the Brock University Coronavirus FAQ.

Students are able to request and receive an exemption through the Student Affairs office. They will be provided with a student mask exemption form and will select the general reason for the exemption request. They do not require a doctor or other provider to sign off on the exemption. Once submitted, they will have a brief meeting with a representative from Student Affairs to complete the process. For this exemption, please email studentaffairs@brocku.ca.

With COVID-19 cases trending downwards across the province and 93 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 years and older fully vaccinated, Brock University paused its COVID-19 vaccination requirement on July 4. All members of the Brock community are still strongly encouraged to become vaccinated against COVID-19 and to keep up to date on boosters.

With the safety of students, staff and faculty a top priority, Brock has introduced a number of measures related to the ventilation system to help mitigate concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to all building ventilation systems undergoing regular maintenance to ensure air is clean and flowing into and out of buildings properly, overrides have been implemented in various areas and systems, such as air intakes, to increased fresh air volumes to indoor spaces.

Everyone visiting campus is strongly encouraged to complete screening online and to stay home if they are feeling unwell. This helps reduce the likelihood that a positive case will come to campus.

Questions about Brock’s vaccine requirement can be sent to provost@brocku.ca.

Principal Investigators (Faculty Supervisors) are responsible for establishing and enforcing risk-mitigation strategies for the shared research spaces under their authority and for maintaining all applicable regulatory clearances for their research (e.g., animal care, Research Ethics Board, biosafety). The Associate Dean Research and the Health, Safety, and Wellness team besafe@brocku.ca are available for consultation. For guidance, please consult the COVID-19 information on the HSW SharePoint site (login required).

Brock research activities throughout stages of the pandemic and recovery have been guided by planning coordinated through the Office of the Vice-President Research. A plan to provide guidance for a broad range of research activities on- and off-campus was developed in June 2020 and revised at critical points over the following months. Table 1: Chart of Brock Research Activities Across the Stages of Pandemic and Recovery (September 2022) provides an overview of the Brock research activities authorized at each stage of the pandemic and recovery.

This plan was developed by the Research Access Task Force, whose membership includes the Associate Deans Research and Graduate Studies (six academic Faculties and the Faculty of Graduate Studies), the Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Associate University Librarian, Graduate Student Association, Health Safety and Wellness, Facilities Management, and Faculty and Staff Relations. Representatives from the Research Ethics Boards contributed to all discussions related to research with human participants. The development and implementation of these plans has been informed throughout by a recognition of the importance of coordinating safety and resourcing for access to campus facilities.

Possible Future Restrictions: All planning and research activity must be conducted in light of the prospect that provincial orders and public health guidelines may call for new restrictions in the future. Researchers are expected to create the conditions to reduce or cease activities on short notice. If conditions warrant, the research authorization process through the Associate Deans Research will be reactivated immediately.

1. Each previously approved Research Facility Access and Prioritization Request Form and the associated Researcher COVID-19 Mitigation Strategy and (if relevant) In-Person Research with Human Participants Risk Checklist will remain on file and will be reactivated immediately if the authorization process is reintroduced. These activities may continue if they were authorized at a point with a comparable level of restrictions.
2. Activities that have not been authorized through the Associate Dean Research must stop until authorization is secured. The Associate Deans Research; the Academic Safety Committee; and Health, Safety, and Wellness will begin reviewing requests again using the forms and processes introduced prior to September 7, 2021.

Consult your Associate Dean Research if you are uncertain.

Campus access hours for shared research spaces (e.g., labs) are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days per week, including weekends and holidays.

The University lifted its masking requirement, effective Monday, April 24, 2023. Members of the Brock community are no longer required to wear masks in shared research spaces unless the research context suggests greater than minimal risk to human participants, as assessed by the Research Ethics Board.

The use of masks continues to be strongly recommended in research contexts, especially when maintaining distance from others is not possible.

How to Order PPE

Request sufficient supplies of the necessary PPE by contacting Science Stores. Send email requests to sciencestores@brocku.ca.

For the foreseeable future, the costs for the following items will be covered by the Office of Research Services if required by the research and ordered through Science Stores:

• Non-medical Disposable Masks
• Medical Masks
• Eye Protection (Goggles or Face Shield for infection control)
• N95 or KN95 respirator
• Gloves

Purchase (using non-Tri-Agency funds) is also possible through Workday catalogues as explained on this video.

Researchers continue to be responsible for purchasing the following items (with non-Tri-Agency funds):

• Hand Sanitizer
• Lab Coats

Where research staff are feeling unwell, care should be taken to stay home to prevent transmission of any illness. If COVID-19 is known or suspected, Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines should be followed.

Researchers, participants, and caregivers (if present) should self-screen for symptoms each day prior to in-person interaction on- or off-campus.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive, tell your close contacts that they have been exposed. A close contact is anyone you were less than two metres away from for at least 15 minutes, or multiple shorter lengths of time, without personal protective equipment in the 48 hours before your symptoms began or your positive test result, whichever came first.

Informing your contact will help stop the spread of the virus. Give them the link to this webpage, ontario.ca/exposed, so they can protect themselves and their contacts. Your close contacts should follow the advice for being exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Communicate with your supervisor, team members, and research participants if activities need to be rescheduled. Ensure all laboratory contact information is up to date.

Field research must:

• follow location-specific public health guidance while on site, and during travel to and from the site;
• have been approved by any relevant local authorities (e.g., parks or conservation authority, First Nations band council); and
• attend to the research travel restrictions in effect at the current pandemic stage (see Can I travel for research?).

Research travel is subject to location-specific public health guidance, Global Affairs travel advisories, and any funding restrictions.

All expenses must comply with the Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expense Policy, including the need for prior written approval from the Associate Vice-President Research when the combined cost of travel exceeds $4,000.

Research Ethics Board clearance must include assessment of the risks to participants based upon the risk-mitigation strategies implemented with respect to current pandemic conditions. For research involving in-person interaction with human participants, researchers are expected to use appropriate measures to reduce the risk of virus transmission. Physical distancing, sanitation protocols, medical masks, goggles or face shields, or other mitigation measures may be required for some research studies.

Researchers, participants, and caregivers (if present) should self-screen for symptoms each day prior to in-person interaction on- or off-campus.

Brock University paused its COVID-19 vaccination requirement effective Monday, July 4, 2022. All members of the Brock community are still strongly encouraged to become vaccinated against COVID-19 and to keep up to date on boosters.

Some individual research studies may be limited to participants who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These determinations will be made case-to-case, based on discussions between researchers and the REB.

The Brock Animal Care and Use Program has a crisis management plan, which includes strategies to address the conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Animal Care Committee (ACC) continues to review applications, make decisions, and exercise required oversight functions.

Researchers must follow Brock University COVID-19 health and safety protocols and ensure that animal care is not compromised.

Please contact the Animal Care Manager, sbukovac@brocku.ca or Clinical Veterinarian, spetrik@brocku.ca if you have any questions or need assistance.

Reach out if you have questions or concerns:

• Animal Care – Shawn Bukovac, Manager, Animal Care
• Human Research Ethics – Lori Walker, Manager, Research Ethics
• Laboratory Safety – Leila Vistorte, Lab Safety Specialist
• Research Funding – Agata D’Innocenzo, Acting Director, Research Services
• Other research questions – Michelle McGinn, Associate Vice-President, Research

Throughout the pandemic, Brock’s travel guidance has always been based on Government of Canada recommendations. As a result of recent advice from the federal government, members of the Brock community can resume non-essential travel. SAC member approval will no longer be required to travel. Instead, the ‘usual’ approval procedures will apply. Those who choose to travel outside Canada are still encouraged to check current travel restrictions and entry/exit requirement for both Canada and the country they are visiting. Restrictions are still changing and may be imposed with little warning. Please consult the Government of Canada’s travel advisories website for details.

The Government of Canada has recommended:

• If you are still considering travelling or are already outside of Canada:
• Check your destination’s Safety and security, Entry/exit requirements and Health sections.
• Get the Government of Canada’s latest updates on COVID-19.
• Check the Pandemic COVID-19 travel health notice.
• Find out what commercial options are still available to return to Canada. Consider returning to Canada earlier than planned if these options are becoming more limited.
• Ensure that you have sufficient finances and necessities, including medication, in case your travels are disrupted.
• Check with your travel insurance provider to know more about their policies related to COVID-19. Find out if you are covered for medical treatment if you become infected with COVID-19 as well as for extended stays outside of Canada.

Tri-Council travel expenses  

The three federal granting agencies confirm that the reimbursement of non-refundable travel fees from agency funds is acceptable, considering the impacts of COVID-19. This applies to the travel of both principal investigators and research personnel, when cancellation occurs. More information is available at https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Media-Media/ProgramNewsDetails-NouvellesDesProgrammesDetails_eng.asp?ID=1133

University-funded travel expenses

For travel booked prior to this communication (March 12, 2020), Brock faculty and staff can submit for reimbursement for any non-refundable travel fees, considering the impacts of COVID-19. Reimbursement must be allocated from the funding source (ie. PER, internal research grants, department budgets) originally intended and approved to cover the cost of travel.

Note:  Non-refundable travel fees for travel booked after the date of this communication will not be reimbursed. For this reason, the University encourages faculty and staff to purchase additional travel cancelation insurance, as well as additional travel health insurance. The costs for purchasing additional insurance will be considered eligible for reimbursement from the funding source intended to cover the cost of the travel (ie. PER, internal research grants, department budgets).

If reimbursement is provided for travel costs where a service provider issues a credit to the claimant, the claimant is responsible for ensuring the credit is used for future University activities and not for personal use. The claimant must refund the University for the cost of the credit if they decide to repurpose the credit for personal use.

All other Travel, Meals, and Hospitality Policy and Professional Expense Reimbursement Policy requirements and approval protocols remain in place.

OUT OF COUNTRY TRAVEL BENEFITS

For information relating to the requirements for entry or re-entry into Canada, please review the guidance provided on the Government of Canada website.