Western University has announced most classes will shift to an online delivery after the new year.
Late Friday afternoon, university officials said the start of the 2022 winter term will be delayed until January 10, 2022, and that the majority of lectures and classes will be online until at least January 31.
"We continue to make decisions as quickly as we can, based on the information that we have about the shifting nature of the COVID-19 pandemic," read a statement from Western. "What we know right now is that Omicron will continue to impact our region, and January may prove to be difficult in our community and across the country."
The university will also remain closed for one extra day until January 4. Some programs and clinical learning in health sciences and medicine will resume for in-person learning, additional information will be emailed from those faculties shortly, the university said. Students who live in residence are also asked to delay their return if possible until in-person learning resumes.
On-campus libraries will also re-open with the rest of the campus. Access to campus labs and offices will also be available.
"We know this is hard. The shift back to online learning, if only for a few weeks, is not our ideal scenario, but we hope this preemptive measure sets us up for success in seeing out the academic year," President Alan Shepard said. "Together, we look forward to returning to the in-person campus experiences we all value."
Earlier this week, Western announced examinations from December 17-23 would shift to an online format. On Friday, Fanshawe College said it would also delay the start of the new semester and deliver most classes virtually.
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