{"id":1342,"date":"2021-05-28T15:54:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T22:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/arts\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2021-05-28T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T23:13:59","slug":"the-vaccination-happy-dance-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/arts\/2021\/05\/28\/the-vaccination-happy-dance-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vaccination Happy Dance Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Faculty of Arts, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past several weeks, many of us have been tapping our toes or bobbing our heads to our own imagined rhythms.  It’s the \u201cI\u2019ve just been vaccinated\u201d feeling that puts an extra bounce in one\u2019s step, and it is worth celebrating!  Just over 10 days ago on a rainy evening after work, I headed to my Covid-19 vaccination appointment and streamed in with all the other happy people.  After receiving my shot, I said to the nurse, \u201cWow, that was quick!\u201d But then realized it had been over a year of waiting for that moment!  We are so fortunate the vaccine roll-out is progressing at a steady pace, and we are beginning — with guarded hope — to see restrictions easing and our lives gradually opening to the larger world beyond our individual bubbles.  Let this ever-so-cautious, quiet, celebratory dance become a long and joyful one that quickens with exuberance in the coming months!   <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are real grounds for optimism about the situation in B.C., it is important that we remain mindful of the impact of the horrific situation abroad upon many of our students and colleagues. The Covid disaster in India, for example, may pose severe challenges for students who are either living there or who have family and friends affected by the crisis. Colleagues and staff with connections to India, or to other parts of the world where Covid is raging, may also be suffering, no matter how stoically they might appear to be carrying on. Let\u2019s redouble our commitment to compassion, care, and support as we remember that this pandemic is truly global in scope.<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID NEWS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restart Your Engines<\/strong>: Earlier this week, the provincial government released B.C.’s Restart:  A plan to bring us back together<\/a>. This four-step plan maps out the gradual restart for the province with a carefully staged approach to the loosening of public restrictions that were put in place to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  While each step has an anticipated start date, each also has a set of criteria that must be met for the provisions of that step to take effect. These criteria ensure that safety needs guide the restart process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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