United Kingdom: The British government announced the existence of a new strain of the COVID19 virus, which temporarily isolated the country from the rest of the world. Flights to and from the UK have been restricted until further announcements. Hopefully this measure will not affect our students who are planning to travel to Cambridge at the end of January 2021.

Canada: Confirmed cases across the country skyrocketed, particularly in the province of Ontario where daily cases in the third week range from 2,500. Ontario Governor Doug Ford announced that the province will go into emergency closure. In other words, “General retail stores, including hardware stores, pet food stores, computer stores, and clothing stores, are closed for in-person purchases. Curbside pickup is allowed. Shopping centers are closed to purchases in person, but curbside collection is allowed, as well as access to businesses that can open under lock and key. ”1

As far as the education sector and our international students are concerned, the emergency closure means that “all schools will start remotely on January 4th. Elementary schools will return to face-to-face learning on January 11. High schools will return to classroom learning on January 25. The closure of the entire province does not affect international student travel. The borders remain open, and students planning to arrive in the next few weeks for the start of semester 3 in February can still do so. The hotel quarantine strategy of the Waterloo Catholic School District (as of all other school districts) is still in effect and they will welcome students. ”2

Sources:CP24