The University of Saskatchewan says as a precaution, there will be a delayed start for a number of classes and programs for the winter term. The decision comes as Canada is experiencing record daily COVID-19 counts.

Instead of starting after the New Year’s weekend on January 4th, many classes will resume starting on January 10th and many will be delivered remotely to start according to a memo on the university’s website.

USask says the plan is to deliver remote learning for two weeks until January 24th. The U of S says the readiness of a shift back to in-person learning will be assessed during that time, however the expectation is that classes will return to in-person when it is safe and reasonable to do so.

Full details of which elements of programs will shift to remote delivery, and which will stay in-person will be provided directly to students and faculty as soon as possible. Additional details will be provided before New Year’s Eve.