A Briercrest student is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. 

Following Briercrest’s mandatory testing policy, the student was tested before coming to campus. They arrived on campus only a few hours prior to receiving their test results. 

Upon receiving their result, the student was immediately isolated and contact tracing was carried out. 

Successful tracking facilitated by proactive campus health guidelines

The immediacy of Briercrest’s response was made possible by a proactive daily health tracking and notification system. Contact tracing was greatly simplified by our adherence to Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) guidelines.

Per the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s guidelines, all students and staff taking part in Briercrest College’s Check In Day wore masks, practiced social distancing, and underwent health screening upon arriving on campus.

Because of these measures, designated Health Services staff were able to trace the student’s contact to close contact with only one other student.

This student was immediately placed in isolation and is undergoing a fourteen-day quarantine with ongoing support and care. 

Measures in place for ongoing student care

Briercrest has put several proactive measures in place to ensure that COVID-19 symptoms or cases are identified and responded to immediately while maintaining a high standard of student care. 

All students on campus have signed waivers indicating that they will adhere to Briercrest’s health guidelines, including daily health screening, the wearing of masks, and maintaining social distancing.

For students needing to self-isolate, Briercrest has designated a dorm space that allows them to isolate comfortably and continue with their classes online.  

Testing policies and procedures for Briercrest staff and students

Students from provinces offering asymptomatic testing were asked to be tested prior to arriving on campus.

All Briercrest staff were tested prior to September 1, and all staff tests returned negative.

As planned, SHA is on site today to offer testing to all students who were unable to be tested in their home provinces.

Weekly campus updates to follow

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, two or more related cases in a group or location is categorized as an outbreak.

Briercrest plans to release a COVID-19 update weekly for the Fall semester.