University Of Toronto Is Waiting Until Next Month To Gradually Return To In-Person Classes
The university will start to return to in-person learning on February 7.
The University of Toronto is preparing to return to in-person learning, and students will be back on campus in a few weeks.
So, if you haven’t missed seeing students milling around the U of T campus, don’t get too used to the quiet. The university announced in a press release on January 19 that a “gradual” and “safe” return from remote learning will start on February 7.
U of T switched to “a predominantly remote model" in December 2021 in response to the Omicron variant and rising COVID-19 cases in the province.
The school accredits its switch to in-person learning to students expressing “how important physical presence on campus is to them – both for their academic work and for their mental wellbeing.”
“U of T currently hosts thousands of students in our residences, many of whom have travelled far from home to learn and interact with their professors, classmates and friends. For these reasons, in the coming weeks, we will return to more in-person activities on all three U of T campuses,” reads the press release.
On February 7, U of T employees will be expected to be ready to return to work on campus. However, the “exact plans” for in-person learning and activities “will vary depending on local factors.”
According to the press release, U of T will be following the latest health guidelines and have enacted 12 policies to ensure a safe environment for staff and students on campus.
Some of these measures include mandatory masks in indoor spaces, rapid screening kits, proof of vaccination and more, which are continuously updated.
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England Will Drop Almost All COVID Restrictions & They Suspect Omicron Has 'Peaked'
"We will trust the judgement of the British people," the PM said.
England will lift almost all of its COVID restrictions starting next week, with the goal of getting back to normal life as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that he's going to remove England's "Plan B" COVID rules, which include measures like mask-wearing, social distancing and showing proof of vaccination.
Plan B was implemented late last year when the U.K. was bracing for the Omicron variant, which spread quickly around the world in November and December.
But now Johnson wants to return to Plan A, which essentially means opening things up and removing mandatory measures that impact most people's daily lives.
In a statement to lawmakers, Johnson said that he "will end the compulsory use of COVID status certification in England."
He added that organizations can still use the pass "voluntarily" if they wish.
"Our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally," Johnson said.
He also announced that the government no longer requires people to work from home anymore and that employers and their workers can start discussing plans to return to the office.
In terms of masks? They're also out.
"Having looked at the data carefully, the Cabinet concluded that once regulations lapse, the government will no longer mandate the wearing of face masks anywhere," Johnson said.
Students and staff won't be required to wear masks inside classrooms starting as early as January 20.
Although the mask mandate is being removed, the PM still encouraged people to continue wearing masks in crowded situations, especially around people they don't usually see.
"But we will trust the judgement of the British people and no longer criminalize anyone who chooses not to wear one."
He also indicated that they would be easing restrictions around care homes in the days ahead.
However, certain restrictions will still remain, such as self-isolation in cases where people have COVID or were exposed.
The change applies to England only, and not to the entirety of the United Kingdom.
Johnson also recently changed the rules so that people who test positive for COVID will have to isolate for five days and take two negative tests before going out again.
However, the PM said he'd like to eventually remove the self-isolation rule entirely, and he compared it to self-isolating when you have the flu.
"The self-isolation regulations expire on March 24, at which point I very much expect not to renew them," said Johnson during the statement.
The restrictions will be removed starting next Thursday, January 27.
Johnson's critics were quick to point out that he made this announcement amid his own COVID-related scandal. There are calls for him to quit as PM after it was revealed that his staffers partied at his residence during lockdowns in 2020, BBC News reports.
Johnson has so far resisted the calls to step down.
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Ontario TikTokers Made An 'Imagine' Parody For Lockdown & It's So Relatable (VIDEO)
"Imagine there's a lockdown.. It isn't hard to do."
In season one of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may remember the "Imagine" video Gal Gadot and other celebrities made of them singing the popular John Lennon song –which elicited mixed reviews, to say the least.
Ontario TikTokers have decided to bring back the unfortunate trend which Gadot has since admitted was "in poor taste" in a spoofed version about Ontario lockdowns.
The video features 16 popular Ontario Tiktokers taking turns singing spoofed lyrics of "Imagine" with snarky commentary about Ontario's latest set of COVID-19 restrictions in the province's modified version of Step Two.
@mikaelmmelo ✨ Imagine all the people - Ontario Edition✨ #COVID #imagine #Ontario #DougFord #Pandemic #Lockdown #OnPoli #OntarioLockdown #omicron #galgadot ♬ original sound - mikaelmmelo
Mikael Melo, a comedy TikToker who often pokes fun at the Ontario government, organized the video featuring big TikTokers like PeterNugget, Charlotte Dobre, ProllyNotAlex and more.
The video starts with Melo singing "Imagine there's a lockdown," with each creator adding a line to the song.
Some standout examples include "Living in a Sh*t hole," " We may say that were depressed –But I'm not the only one," and more about indoor dining, gyms and schools.
Melo told Narcity he got the idea when the new restrictions were announced and thought it would be the perfect way to give Ontarians a laugh while making fun of the original video.
"I noticed the reaction online and how sad people were – you know we're kind of back to where we started. So I thought what better way to make people laugh and recreate something that was so cringy and give it an Ontario spin."
Melo says he started reaching out to Tiktokers he followed and was a fan of in Ontario until the collaboration became a reality.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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You Can Now Get Free At-Home Rapid COVID Tests In The US & Here's How To Order
Get up to four tests delivered right to your door!
Each household in the U.S. can now order COVID-19 rapid tests for free from the government, and all you have to do is visit a website.
The White House says it's handing out half a billion rapid tests as part of its COVID-19 strategy, and it hopes the tests will help tackle a surge in cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
The government promised last week that it would begin handing out a bunch of rapid antigen tests, and the website launched this week amid a rush of excitement.
COVID-19 Tests Update:\n500M rapid, at-home tests will be available for order on January 19th online and will be mailed directly to American households for free.— The White House (@The White House) 1642188646
You can visit COVIDtests.gov to order a test and have it delivered through the mail. All you have to do is submit your name, mailing address and email so you can get shipping status updates.
According to the site, tests will usually ship within 7-12 days, so you may even receive your tests by the end of the month if you order this week.
More than 1 million users flooded onto the site and triggered a few glitches on Tuesday evening, according to a federal traffic-monitoring website. Some people living in apartment buildings reported having trouble with their orders, since the limit per household was not taking multi-unit dwellings into account, the New York Times reports.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Tuesday that the site was still in its "beta phase" ahead of the official launch on Wednesday, according to NBC News.
The White House is releasing half of its promised 1 billion tests right now for free, according to a press release. However, it also stressed that "there are many other options for Americans to get tested," including over 20,000 free testing sites across the nation.
In order to deliver the first batch of kits to households across the country, CNN reports that the administration is spending $4 billion, and each household is entitled to four rapid COVID-19 tests.
According to NPR, the administration is also setting up a phone hotline to make orders accessible to those without access to computers or high-speed internet.
This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
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