Some N.B. universities plan to reopen later this month

Some universities in New Brunswick are planning to begin to reopen later this month.

Mount Allison University, in Sackville, notified its students and staff thatsome on-campus operations will resume as of May 25.

According to the university's website, researchers who require on-campus facilities faculty members and students will be permitted back to the campus.

Jonathan Ferguson, president of the student union at Mount Allison, and said he's happy to hear the early details of the phased-in approach.

"The number of students that are going to be returning on campusuntil Septemberis still pretty small," he said. "It's mostly just going to be concerning those doing research."

Ferguson said most of the regular in-person spring classes have either been cancelled or moved online.

Mount Allison also announced its plans to have classes resume in September through "blended" delivery on-campus and online.

"It's a little bit of a relief to knowing kinda roughly the direction that we're headed in," Ferguson said, noting the uncertainty of the next few months.

The university is expected to make more details available about the plans for the fall semester on June 1.

According to the university's website, residences along with the dining hall and food services at Mount Allison will be open for the fall semester.

"Over the summer a number of new health and safety measures will be put in place for the fall term, all designed to support student health upon arrival and throughout the academic year," according to the website.

Ferguson said he's waiting for more details in the coming weeks about what it will mean for students outside of the province.

"The majority of students that go to Mount Allison are from out of province," he said, adding that many students are from the Maritimes.

"We're waiting to see what conversations unfold on a provincial and inter-provincial level."

Gradual reopening for St. Thomas

St. Thomas University is also making plans for a gradual reopening of campus for staff and faculty starting May 25.

Jeffrey Carleton,a spokesperson for the university, he said in an emailed statement to the CBC on Saturday that the first phase is not for students.

Details about September classes at St. Thomas are being worked out, according to Carleton.

Carleton said a decision on fall course delivery is expected by mid-June.

The University of New Brunswick is expected to release its plans for the fall semester by June 1.