On campus during COVID-19

SAIT is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for the entire campus community. Employees, students and visitors must complete a general COVID-19 orientation upon returning to SAIT campus. The orientation aligns with public health directives, raising awareness about COVID-19 safety and informing all individuals of their responsibilities and requirements upon returning to SAIT. 

Return to campus safety orientation

Student instructions

If you’re coming to campus, before you arrive you must complete the Return to Campus Safety Orientation. If you completed this orientation during the Fall semester, further action is not required.

Students and apprentices will be automatically registered in this four-module course in  Brightspace (D2L). You’ll find the modules in ORNT 118: Orientation. Watch for ORNT 118 in your course list.

Completion of the Return to Campus Safety Orientation is a priority for students attending some or all of their studies in-person on campus. If you’re coming to campus and can’t access the course in advance of your first day, please contact your Academic Chair.

The course takes about 20 minutes to complete. Make sure you select "exit" on the bottom right once you finish each module to ensure your completion registers to your transcript.

👉  Need help logging in to Brightspace (D2L)?

Employee instructions

1. Sign in to  PeopleNOW with your SAIT login credentials.
2. In the top right search bar, type in “Return to Campus” and the training will appear.
3. Click on the training and register for the curriculum.
4. Open the curriculum and scroll to the bottom. You’ll see a list of all four modules. Click  Activate to launch the first one.
5. Complete the four course modules (total time: 24 minutes).

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve completed each course, make sure you select  Exit on the bottom right. It will take half a minute to close the course, but it ensures your completion of the course is recorded to your transcript.

Contractor instructions

1. Visit this  link.
2. Register your name, email and phone number.
3. Select the “Return to Campus Safety Orientation” title on the homepage or go to  MyLearning > Learner Home and select the orientation.
4. Click on the training and register for the curriculum.
5. Open the curriculum and scroll to the bottom. You’ll see a list of all four modules. Click  Activate to launch the first one.
6. Complete the four course modules (total time: 24 minutes).

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve completed each course, make sure you select Exit on the bottom right. It will take half a minute to close the course, but it ensures your completion of the course is recorded to your transcript.

All SAIT staff, students and visitors must complete the daily campus access form every day before accessing campus. The daily campus access form is intended to protect the SAIT community from the transmission of COVID-19 and create a record of individuals who are accessing campus in the event contact tracing is required.

Anyone intending to access the SAIT campus must first complete the online COVID-19 Alberta Health Services daily checklist. This helps prevent both the symptomatic and asymptomatic spread of COVID-19. If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of the questions on the checklist, you cannot enter campus and are expected to visit Alberta Health Services’ website to complete the formal online assessment tool and follow their recommendations to get tested and/or self-isolate. Please also notify your supervisor or instructor that you will not be accessing campus.

Anyone who must self-isolate based on assessment results must remain at home or in his or her room in residence.

The daily campus access form asks the following:

• complete and confirm you have completed the online COVID-19 Alberta Health Services daily checklist  
• confirm all responses on the online assessment are ‘No’
• identify if you are a student, employee or contractor
• enter your name, identification number
• identify buildings you intend to access that day

Information gathered in this form is kept confidential and only shared for purposes of building access and contact tracing if requested from Alberta Health Services.

Individuals who have not completed this form before entering campus will be denied entry to campus buildings.

SAIT employees who have tested positive should notify their supervisor and stay off campus. Students should notify their instructors and stay off campus.

Anyone testing positive must follow the Alberta Health Services isolation guidelines.

Yes. On the day you were tested, there may not have been enough virus in your body, for the test to pick up. Isolating for a full 14 days ensures that there is no virus in your system and therefore you won’t continue to spread it.

Because you are a close contact of a COVID-19 case, you are legally required to isolate for 14 days from the time you were exposed. This is mandatory under the Public Health Act.

If you are demonstrating COVID-like  symptoms (i.e. runny nose, fever, cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath), please call Alberta Health Services (AHS) at 811 to seek advice and do not come to campus.   

For the safety and protection of our community, SAIT requires the wearing of masks (clean cloth, procedural or surgical mask) in indoor areas on campus (building common areas, labs and classrooms). Students must provide their own masks and put them on when entering buildings. Some programs require specific masks in labs where individually supplied masks from home will not be allowed. Programs that require special masks will coordinate distribution to students.

SAIT will provide appropriate PPE to faculty and on-campus employees as per collective agreements and Alberta Health Services guidelines, along with training for proper use and disposal. Given the expected continuation of the pandemic, however, we encourage all employees  to augment this supply with their own washable, reusable cloth masks to ensure a clean mask is always available for use. 

How to select, wear and clean your mask

 

Overview

• Wear masks with three or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19. Two layers should be tightly woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen. The third (middle) layer should be a filter-type fabric, such as non-woven polypropylene fabric.
• Wear the mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
• Do NOT wear masks intended for health-care workers, for example, N95 respirators, unless required specifically for your work on campus or your specific program of study.
• SAIT does not allow the use of gaiters, bandanas, snoods or neck warmers as a substitute to a properly fitted face mask. These do not provide the required level of protection.
• A face shield is not a substitute for a mask.
• Masks with exhalation valves are not permitted. Although these valves may improve comfort for the wearer, they provide less protection for others as they allow infectious respiratory droplets to spread outside the mask.

How to wear a mask

• Wear a mask that:
  • covers your nose and mouth, and secure it under your chin.
  • fits snugly against the sides of your face.
• Wear a mask correctly and consistently for the best protection.
• Be sure to wash your hands before putting on a mask.
• Do NOT touch the mask when wearing it.

How to clean a mask

Masks should be washed regularly. Always remove masks correctly and wash your hands after handling or touching a used mask.

• Include your mask with your regular laundry.
• Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the mask.
• Use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry.

Additional information on mask usage and where to obtain them is available from the Government of Alberta.

While all building exits are available for emergency situations, entry and exit will be at designated locations. Students, staff and visitors should not hold or prop open exterior doors for any other person. Schools and departments will coordinate arrival and departure times to reduce congestion to and from buildings.

Building occupants will follow traffic-flow signage through building entrances (main corridors) and exits. These areas will have arrows to help direct traffic in a safe and orderly manner. As individuals enter a building, they will enter in single file order with two metres between the person in front of them.

We are asking everyone on campus to enter buildings through the designated entrances only. Buildings holding classes and labs open at 6:45 am daily, Monday through Friday.

Have you spotted students wearing yellow T-shirts and SAIT lanyards on campus?

SAIT’s Student Safety Ambassadors are supporting the safe reopening of campus in accordance with Alberta Health Services guidelines. Our combined 34 student ambassadors come from various backgrounds, speak many languages and represent all SAIT schools. Ambassadors can be found at designated entrances across campus validating daily campus access form completion, monitoring social distancing and mask use, and supporting other tasks as part of our COVID-19 safety efforts.

Parking is available for $6 per day per entry in lots P1, P2, P3 and P6 with credit card payment (gates at the exit will open automatically), and in lot P5, P7, P8 and P9 with the HONK mobile app. Signage will be placed at open and closed lots. Contact SAIT Parking Servicesfor on-campus parking information.

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, all individuals must maintain a separation of two metres at all times while on campus, including while moving within and between locations on campus (see details below). Maintaining distance between individuals is one of the best ways to avoid COVID-19 exposure and to slow its spread. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it's important to avoid close contact with others whenever possible. Physical distancing is important for everyone, especially to help protect individuals who are at higher risk of getting very sick from the disease.

Physical distancing involves steps to limit the number of people with whom you come into close contact.

• Avoid handshakes and any other physical contact with others.
• Remain two metres apart from others whenever possible.
• Do not leave assigned workspaces for walks throughout buildings.

When physical distancing is not possible, engineering controls such as physical barriers may be required in conjunction with required PPE (i.e., mask) as determined by the job hazard assessment. Control measures are identified by Facilities Management and Health, Safety and Environment Services.

The number of occupants in classrooms will be reduced to accommodate physical distancing. Activities within classrooms and labs may also be modified to reduce the interactions between students, instructors and support staff. The use of shared tools will be discouraged, and cleaning and disinfecting will be required of all commonly shared materials, tools, equipment and surfaces. Students can expect to participate in the cleaning and disinfecting of their tools and equipment. In addition to regularly worn PPE, special PPE to protect against viral transmissions, such as masks, may be required. Instructions and guidance will be provided by schools on these protective measures.

SAIT encourages all students, workers and visitors to take the stairs to classrooms, laboratories or other workspaces. If this is not possible due to health or mobility issues, or because one must move materials between floors, please comply with signage posted outside the elevator, wall and floor inside the elevator car (i.e., guides where to stand inside the car) and elevator etiquette.

Each SAIT elevator capacity is reduced to two occupants. Within the cab, please:

• face away from the other rider
• wear your face mask
• cover your cough
• avoid touching your face after pushing the button
• wash hands with soap and water or sanitize your hands after elevator use.

In support of health and safety regulations due to COVID-19, and for the ongoing overall well-being of our community, SAIT is a smoke-free campus, effective Monday, Aug. 31.

If you're coming to campus, please note you can no longer smoke anywhere, on any campus. If you do leave to smoke, you may not be allowed back into campus buildings due to health guidelines related to COVID-19.

To avoid congestion and congregation, always take the most direct route that is open and permitted. Walk on the right side of the path, maintain a two-metre distance and yield to oncoming traffic. Signage and directional markings should be followed.

Limited food services will be available on campus.

Eat on campus through the Boost app

Select food services on campus are open for pick-up orders through the Boost app, effective Aug. 31.

These  campus eats will be available Monday – Friday, 8 am to 3 pm. Pick-up location hours may vary.

1. Download the Boost app on your mobile phone through the  App Store or  Google Play.
2. Order ahead through the provided menus.
3. Customize your meals, snacks and drinks.
4. Pay with your credit or debit card.

Pick up your order at one of four  campus locations:

• Senator Burns building — main floor, near the Tim Hortons
• Johnson-Cobbe Energy Centre — main floor, near the Starbucks
• Aldred Centre — main floor, at the Artisan Deli
• Stan Grad Centre — in the Irene Lewis Atrium 

Use only designated washrooms. Follow all signage indicating sink and stall closures to maintain proper distancing. Practise good hand hygiene while using any washroom — wash your hands thoroughly before exiting.

Changerooms will be limited to students and staff who are required to change for their work or classroom activities. All non-essential changes will be discouraged and facilities such as locker rooms and showers will not be available.

Students and workers will be provided break space to eat their lunch and take scheduled breaks. These spaces may differ from regular operations to accommodate reduced occupancy and physical distancing. Fridges, microwaves and food preparation spaces will not be available in most circumstances. Individuals are encouraged to bring bagged lunches that can be consumed without refrigeration or heating.

Students will not have access to their regular lockers and are encouraged to bring only essential items to campus in a backpack. Each program will provide a designated “day storage” area for students to leave their belongings. Carry valuables with you or leave them at home, but don’t forget to bring your SAIT ID.

SAIT staff may not have access to their regular office space while working on campus. Work and instructional prep spaces will be assigned by schools and departments in consultation with Facilities Management. While working in offices, staff will always be required to maintain a two-metre distance. Any shared equipment must be cleaned and disinfected between users.

Due to escalating community transmission of COVID-19 and to safeguard the health of our employees, temporary measures are now in place regarding vehicle sharing while on SAIT business.

Dec. 10, 2020: Effective immediately, SAIT is limiting vehicle occupancy to one (1) employee for those required to travel on behalf of SAIT for SAIT-sanctioned activities. This applies to operational, instructional and/or research activities, whether on- or off-campus. Those employees who utilize shared transportation (e.g. taxi or Calgary Transit) for such activities are required to adhere to masking requirements, personal hygiene and seek to maximize social distancing where possible.

Though not prohibited, carpooling to and from campus is not recommended due to increased risk of COVID-19 transmission. If any of the vehicle occupants is confirmed as having COVID-19 within a certain timeframe of a trip, all carpool companions are deemed close contacts and will legally be required to isolate for 14 days.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, have recently travelled outside Canada or were exposed to someone who has COVID-19, stay home and use the Alberta Health Services online assessment tool to see if you should be tested.  

If a student or worker becomes ill while on campus with COVID-19 symptoms, they must notify their instructor or supervisor immediately. The instructor, supervisor or designated first aider will escort the person to a designated isolation space for privacy and safety. The ill individual must wear a mask while in the space and must not be left alone. Once isolated, the person must complete the Alberta Health Services online COVID-19 self-assessment tool.

While in isolation, the ill individual must make transportation arrangements to go home — assistance will be provided for those requiring it. Public transit must be avoided. If the person is well enough, then they may drive their private vehicle home if the vehicle is located on campus. Otherwise, a member of their household should provide transportation. If neither option is available, then Campus Security can arrange for a taxi service.

If the student or staff member lives in residence, they must return to their room to self-isolate. The ill individual must report their illness to SAIT Residence. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must self-isolate at home as per Alberta Health Services Orders and instructions.

All spaces occupied by an ill person on campus may require cleaning and disinfection before regular activities continue. The instructor or supervisor will contact the Helpline for assistance and report the event to Campus Security.

In the event anyone presents respiratory or medical distress, call 911. If no first aider is present and assistance is required, call Campus Security at 403.284.8000 for first aid. Ill individuals with respiratory distress should not wear a mask during medical emergencies.

SAIT works with Alberta Health Services to support contact tracing and notify individuals. Due to escalating community transmission of COVID-19, SAIT may notify close contacts of on-campus cases before the AHS contact tracing team.

The Government of Alberta has introduced a voluntary app that can be downloaded for both Apple and Android phones. The ABTraceTogether app provides information if you have been exposed to COVID-19 or if you have exposed others.

The Government of Canada also has a  COVID Alert app.

Practice proper hand hygiene

• Wash hands regularly after removing PPE and before leaving the classroom, laboratory or office, as well as before eating or drinking and after using the washroom. Use soap and water and wash for a minimum of 20 seconds. Scrub all surfaces of hands, including backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.
• Use hand sanitizer when hand washing is not available.
• Only use hand sanitizer approved by Health Canada (Look for a DIN or NPN number on the bottle).
• Avoid touching your face — mouth, nose and eyes.
• Wash hands after touching communal surfaces, computers, doorknobs, pens, etc..

Use proper respiratory hygiene

• Cough and sneeze into your arm and then wash your hands with soap and water.

Surface disinfection

Cleaning and disinfection of surfaces are a collective responsibility for all staff and students during this pandemic.

There has been an increase in cleaning and disinfection of washrooms, common areas and touchpoints (e.g., handrails elevator buttons, doorknobs) by custodial staff. Staff and students are required to clean and disinfect their work areas (e.g. benches, countertops) and tools and equipment they use before and after final use.

Each school or department will be required to determine the extent of classroom and workspace cleaning based upon the number of students using a classroom or workspace and how often the classrooms are rotated during a 24-hour period. Schools and departments must communicate their cleaning requirements to BGIS/Bee Clean. Requests for custodial services must be made through Helpline at helpline@sait.ca.

The following actions have been implemented and are actively in place at SAIT:

• All custodial staff have been trained and instructed to focus on high touch surfaces. These efforts are continually being monitored and verified by custodial supervisors.
• Additional custodial staff are in place for dedicated touch point cleaning during business hours, including:
  • doorknobs
  • elevator buttons
  • faucet handles
  • publicly used telephones
  • common area computer keyboards
  • handrails.
• Use of Sani-Stuff disinfectant has been implemented for all food court areas for increased sanitation and improved longevity of disinfectant properties.
• Custodial staff are available to complete individual workstation cleaning, as requested, at no cost to the department. Please submit a  Helpline or SAITWorks request for this service.

Additional actions and activities are being evaluated and preparations being made should the situation escalate. Please contact  Helpline to advise of any locations requiring additional custodial attention.

Staying healthy and safe on campus includes awareness of biological hazards and using effective prevention protocols and programs. It's important to be vigilant regarding the objects we use every day in the course of study or our work duties.

If you're ill, stay away from these facilities, as computers and equipment are often used by others within SAIT. They are subject to each user’s bacteria and viruses, and are a medium for passing them on to others.

Please use the guidelines below to maintain a safe and healthy work space for you and others:

• Hand hygiene is the most important factor in preventing transmission of microorganisms. Access computer equipment with clean hands. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water is unavailable.
• Clean the equipment and the area around your work space before and after use with disinfectant wipes. It may be necessary to use more than one wipe to keep the surface wet for the length of contact time recommended by the product after use.
• Throw disposable items (such as disinfectant wipes) used to clean surfaces and items in the trash immediately after use.
• Its recommended to keep all food and drink away from computers, tools and equipment as crumbs may fall and initiate a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, especially if they get wet.
• Maintain social distance when others are in shared spaces and avoid touching your face (such as mouth, eyes, nose).
• Wash your hands with soap and water after leaving the shared space.

When using public transportation, appropriate precautions (i.e., wearing a mask, practicing good hand hygiene and maintaining physical distancing) are important. Check out Calgary Transit's  rider resources page.

Individuals travelling by CTrain and/or bus should sanitize or wash their hands as soon as possible upon arriving on campus and before entering shared spaces. You will be required to wear a mask inside campus buildings, so please bring a clean cloth mask or new disposable mask.