UVic moves remaining December exams online due to COVID-19

The University of Victoria announced Sunday that all remaining exams this term will be moved online due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

All exams on Monday, December 13 and onward must be moved online, the university said in a news release issued Sunday afternoon.

Effective Monday, we will no longer hold in-person exams. This is part of enhanced health and safety precautions being implemented in response to rising COVID-19 numbers. https://t.co/XB6GaTzwqP pic.twitter.com/RjQfdOg8Se

— UniversityOfVictoria (@uvic) December 13, 2021

“We know this is short notice for those with exams scheduled for Monday, and we are reaching out to instructors with guidance to make this transition as smooth as possible,” the university said.

Cancelling in-person exams will reduce the amount of time large groups of students spend together in auditoriums and gymnasiums, the school said. Students who have been asked to self-isolate over COVID-19 exposure will also be able to write their tests online instead of deferring.

UVic announced last week that varsity athletes and business students would have their exams moved online after social events those students attended were flagged for COVID-19 transmission by Island Health. Now, it’s making exams online for all students.

Study spaces and research labs on campus will remain open, but in-person social events such as holiday parties must be called off.

Queen’s University in Ontario made the same decision Sunday to cancel all remaining in-person exams due to accelerating COVID-19 case counts as the Omicron variant takes hold.

Due to concerns with the rising cases of #COVID19 within the student population, and in consultation with @KFLAPH, #Queensu is discontinuing in-person exams in Kingston effective immediately. https://t.co/R2pzcoZL7U

— Queen’s University (@queensu) December 13, 2021