USask moves to limit access to campus in response to COVID-19

The expectation of the policy is that by March 23, all non-core USask employees still working on campus will have made the transition to work remotely. This policy aligns with the government’s emergency declaration, while also allowing supervisors some time to plan. The phased-in approach will maximize the number of USask faculty and staff working from home, allow critical employees to work on campus to ensure the core operations of the university are maintained, and limit the impact on our students.

Working Remotely:

All employees who can work from home, should immediately work with their supervisor to determine the necessary arrangements to facilitate remote working. There are many resources to support working remotely. As you are implementing specific work from home/telecommute arrangements, please consult these principles, criteria and guidelines. Employees deemed as critical to core operations will be contacted directly.

The staffing configuration will be reviewed on an ongoing basis as required by the rapidly changing local and provincial environment. The University of Saskatchewan continues to follow the guidelines of both the province and the federal government. These guidelines are updated frequently in response to the changing situation, and our approach in this situation will change as well. All measures USask takes are to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of our campus community and beyond. Here are some tips and resources to stay healthy during this situation.

On-Campus Activity and Access:

While the university's core operations continue and are open to students who need to be on campus in order to access services to complete their academic programs, we are immediately closing our campuses to public visitors. Only faculty, staff, administrators, contractors, and delivery personnel whose presence on our campuses is critical to the university's core operations should be on campus, until further notice. In addition, please note that access to many buildings and facilities on campus will be limited due to the preventative measures taken in recent days to protect the health and safety of our community (see below). 

Campus and Building Info:

The health and well-being of all of our University of Saskatchewan community members remains our top priority and we are taking the necessary steps to reduce the number of people on campus.

A number of buildings and services on campus have either been closed or continue to operate under reduced hours, though this may change in response to the evolving situation. A list of university buildings that are closed is available at updates.usask.ca. More information about building closures will be updated to the site on a frequent basis.

The WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) remains open, but is limiting cases to emergencies, urgent cases and cases already under treatment.

Note that there will be limited access to public spaces throughout campus in order protect the health and safety of our community. Please obey the restricted area signage that is being placed in locations around campus.

The University of Saskatchewan is immediately closing the campus to public visitors until further notice. 

The outbreak of COVID-19 is stressful, as are the sudden changes and disruption to our work environment. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions.  If you need help, use the university's employee and family assistance plan. Also, be considerate of people around you. The World Health Organization has released a Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak factsheet.

As a community it is critical that we support each other and remain respectful during what is a difficult time for all of us. Please follow all guidelines and take all precautions to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in our community.

For the latest developments and information about the University of Saskatchewan's response to COVID-19, please go to www.usask.ca/updates

If you have any questions, please email covid19@usask.ca.