Mcgill students temporarily kicked out of residence

More than a dozen Mcgill University students were told to leave their student residence building for a week for allegedly failing to follow social distancing measures.

“Somewhere between 15 and 20 students got an email on Sunday stating that they had to leave the residence the next morning ” by 10 a.m., said Elisha Mayer, a Mcgill student from France who represents fellow students who reside on the 15th floor of New Residence Hall on Parc Ave.

“They were told they couldn't come back to the residence for the next seven days and that they couldn't go to any Mcgill properties. That includes the cafeteria, for example, and the library. When the emails were sent there was a wave of panic from the students because they didn't know what to do.”

Some students tried to book rooms at hotels and others contacted friends hoping for a spot to crash, Mayer said. He added later that, as far as he knows, all were able to find places to live for the time being. He noted that at least

When the emails were sent there was a wave of panic from the students because they didn't know what to do.

one of the students is a minor and was unable to book a hotel room on his own.

The temporary evictions are based on a section of Mcgill's new Residence Handbook that says “non-compliance with regards to COVID-19 expectations in Residence” that leads to “a serious threat to the well-being, health and safety of themselves or others” can lead to exclusion for up to 10 days.

“Unfortunately, despite several warnings and/or reprimands, a number of students have faced short-term measures for non-compliance to public health authorities and Mcgill COVID -19 regulations in residences,” wrote Mcgill spokesperson Cynthia Lee.

Mayer said that, even if the students attended gatherings or ignored social distancing measures, the punishment does not match the offence. “Getting the students to isolate in their own rooms would have been a much better way to deal with it because they are putting students out on the streets,” he said.

With no access to Mcgill's cafeteria, the students can't use meal services that are part of being in a residence. Mayer said the students also need access to things like the internet in order to keep studying.

Students plan to meet on Wednesday to see if they can challenge the orders to leave.

Mcgill reported Monday that 44 students in residence have tested positive for COVID-19, including 33 at the Royal Victoria College residence on University St. Mayer said students at Residence Hall were not informed of the outbreak at the other residence.

Mcgill said the positive cases were discovered through its contact tracing process and students were immediately moved to self-isolation rooms.