Anxiety high as Canadian universities prepare for students from U.S.
Post-secondary students from the pandemic-riven United States are getting ready to go back to school in Canada — a rite of passage that’s causing more anxiety than usual for parents and front-line university workers alike in the age of COVID-19.
At Montreal’s Mcgill University, some employees are growing worried as the school prepares to welcome foreign students into on-campus residences, even those whose courses are entirely online.
Parents, too, are wrestling with new and unfamiliar concerns: the risk of on-campus infection, the fact border restrictions make in-person visits impossible and the prospect of their kids facing anti-american backlash.
One Mcgill employee, who spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions at work, said there is concern among the rank and file of another “fiasco” like the outbreak at Quebec’s long-term care homes, which accounted for 80 per cent of the highest provincial total of COVID -19 deaths in Canada.
“I am in the office with, like, four colleagues and we’re all, ‘What’s going to happen?’ In America, it’s blowing up there like crazy, and people are supposed to be coming back in seven weeks,” said the employee, who described the group as front-line workers — many in their 50s or 60s, with elderly parents at home — who are typically in close contact with students.
“There are a lot of family concerns related to health that are connected with this. And, you know, maybe I wouldn’t be thinking about these things if I hadn’t seen America erupt into such a mess.”
Others, however, have faith the institution can keep students and staff safe.
“Part of our mandate is to not only educate but nurture and protect these young adults,” said Franco Taddeo, who has worked in Mcgill’s library system since the 1990s. “Honestly, as a father and Canadian, I would much rather have these students here for their safety and well-being than being in present-day America.”
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 3.6 million people and killed 140,000 in the U.S., compared with 109,000 cases and 8,800 deaths in Canada. And it’s not the only thing giving U.S. parents sleepless nights.
They’re well aware of reports of Americans — accused of flouting travel restrictions — facing verbal abuse in Canada.
One mother, a dual citizen who heard tell of U.S. vehicles being vandalized, bought a looseleaf-sized magnet to attach to her car door that reads, “We are Canadian citizens and have completed our 14-day quarantine.”
Since students can complete course work online, one might wonder: why send them at all?
“We need to trust that she’ll make decisions to keep herself safe, either there or here,” said one mother, whose daughter is going into her second year at Mcgill, and who fears for her if her name is made public. The parents wrestled with whether to let her go.
“I kept saying to her, ‘I would prefer you stay home and wait.’ And she was like, ‘But my life is waiting for me there.’ So we’re letting her make the choice.”
In a statement, Mcgill would say only that fall courses will be offered “primarily through remote delivery platforms,” but that they are developing on-campus student life and learning activities “which will respect careful safety protocols.”
“We will continue to place the health and safety of our community first by working closely with public health authorities.”
Some U.S. parents are taking comfort in knowing their children are escaping the U.S., where the newly resurgent virus is shattering daily records for new cases and deaths, fuelled by partisan divisions over face masks, reopening businesses and easing physical distancing requirements.