Brock University continues to fare very well so far through the Fall term, with only a very small number of isolated COVID-19 cases reported on campus. This is thanks in large part to our vaccine requirement, but also to the care, attention and diligence of all Brock students, staff, faculty members, and librarians.

With that said, the pandemic continues to rage in Canada and around the world, and Brock must continue to be vigilant in order to preserve the gains it has made and ensure a safe Winter term on campus. As a result, the University is releasing the following guidance with respect to special events on campus, motivated in part by a number of requests for holiday-related events we have recently received.

• An exemption from provincial physical distancing requirements continues to apply for Ontario’s colleges and universities. However, this exemption only applies to indoor instructional space on campus. For staff meetings, lunches, parties and similar gatherings, event organizers should continue to plan for and enforce physical distancing of 2 metres between participants at all times.
• For non-instructional activities, a capacity limit of 25 people also continues to apply for indoor events. As above, event organizers must plan for and enforce this requirement.
• Events that involve food are subject to additional restrictions under provincial regulations. As a result, the University will only approve events that serve food in discrete, single-serving portions (e.g., boxed lunches). Events where food is self-serve, such as potlucks or buffets, will not be permitted. Furthermore, Niagara Region Public Health requires that anyone organizing an event that will involve the general public (including students) and offer food or services must complete an application no less than 30 days prior to the event. The link for the application process may be found HERE.
• Face coverings must continue to be worn at all times in all events when one is not actively eating or drinking. The presence of food or drink in the room is not sufficient to remove masks. If individuals are not currently taking a bite or a sip, they should be masked.
• Event organizers are responsible for maintaining a register of participants for contact tracing purposes, including name, address, phone number and email address.
• Please note that all of the above only apply to non-instructional events taking place on campus. For off-campus events, including events in restaurants or meetings halls, those locations will be responsible for enforcing any regulations required in their sector. As a result, event organizers may wish to explore options for off-campus events wherever possible.
• Organizers of non-instructional events on campus should consult the COVID Coordinator (covid19coordinator@brocku.ca) to discuss the precautions that should be taken to ensure the safety of their event.
• Any event on campus must also be approved by the appropriate SAC member. Such approval will only be granted if the SAC member has confirmed that the proposed event is permitted by current regulations and that all appropriate mitigation strategies have been implemented.

A word on travel

The University continues to allow both essential and non-essential travel with SAC member approval under the conditions outlined in the Provostial memo dated August 6, 2021.

For any questions about this guidance document, please contact provost@brocku.ca or covid19coordinator@brocku.ca.