STU to hold classes online for rest of school year

St. Thomas University in Fredericton will continue to hold classes remotely for the rest of the school year, the university's president said in a statement Tuesday.

The university has not held in-person classes since March because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Dawn Russell said the university is considered a high-risk setting for COVID-19, which has prompted the extension.

"While we have a much better understanding of risks and how to mitigate them, there are still many barriers to a resumption of in-person classes and campus life," said Russell.

"While the circumstances have improved in our province and region, we do not want to contribute to a setback."

CBC News has reached out to the St. Thomas University Student Unionand faculty associations, but have yet to receive a response.

Russell said the start of the winter semester will also be moved from Jan. 6 to Jan.11 to give people more time to selfisolate after the Christmas break.

She said a decision on graduation plans and summer courses has not yet been made.