By Canadian Press

Anxiety high as Canadian schools prepare for students from COVID-ravaged U.S.

Jul 20, 2020 | 9:05 AM

WASHINGTON — Canada’s universities are bracing for an influx of students next month from the United States, where the worsening COVID-19 pandemic is setting fresh records every day for new infections and deaths.

At McGill University in Montreal, the school is allowing foreign students to live on campus, even when their courses are entirely online, and says it’s working closely with health authorities to make sure it’s safe.

One staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of work-related repercussions, fears another “fiasco” like the outbreak at Quebec long-term care homes, which accounts for 80 per cent of the province’s COVID-19 deaths.   

Parents of U.S. students are also nervous — they say they’re concerned not only about the risk of infection, but also the ongoing border restrictions and the possibility of their kids facing an anti-American backlash in Canada.

While students with valid study permits are allowed to cross the Canada-U.S. border, immediate family members are not.

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One mother says she plans to drive to the border crossing, then summon an Uber to take her daughter the rest of the way.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2020.

The Canadian Press