Dear Staff and Students,

Coquitlam College will return to in-person delivery on Monday, January 10 for the courses which had previously been scheduled as in-person.  The return to the campuses will include all three of the College’s programs.   Many other institutions have made the same decision as we have.  We also wanted to include in this email a statement we received from the Ministry of Advanced Education just prior to our break.  Please see below:

December 2021 Guidance from BC’s Provincial Health Officer – Continuation of On-Campus Instruction for January 2022:

On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), Dr. Bonnie Henry, informed (see attached letter) all public post-secondary institution presidents of the strong recommendation by public health experts in B.C. to continue with on-campus instruction as planned for PSIs in January 2022.  

• Rationale:  
  • Experience in BC and internationally show educational settings as low risk for COVID-19 transmission.  Transmission in educational settings on campus continues to be uncommon.
  • Experience with all variants of concern reflect similar patterns of risk:
  • High risk settings being homes and unstructured or informal social settings.
  • Low risk settings being educational settings, including large classrooms, and workplaces with safety measures in place.
  • Structured educational settings do not amplify transmission.
  • Previous move to online post-secondary education in 2020 and 2021 was associated with significant negative consequences for post-secondary students.
  • There is no evidence that moving to online post-secondary instruction will decrease interactions in households and unstructured social settings.
• Recommendations:
  • Maintain in-person instruction on post-secondary campuses and ensure students continue to have in-person access to their instructors.
  • Return to Campus Public Health Guidance , COVID-19 Return-to-Campus Guidelines and institutional safety plans have been very effective at preventing COVID-19 in a variety of settings across B.C.
  • For non-educational activities, such as social gatherings of students and/or staff, seek virtual alternatives, and continue to comply with the PHO Order for Gatherings and Events.

Given the importance of maintaining in-person and on-campus education of post-secondary students, Public Health leadership will work with PSIs to provide guidance, support and assistance to ensure that students are able to continue learning in place.

The College will continue to monitor announcements from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Advanced Education regarding course delivery and update staff and students with staff emails, cc broadcasts and website updates.

Thank you,
Coquitlam College Administration