Three positive COVID cases on McMaster’s campus

Three people who recently visited McMaster University's campus have tested positive for COVID. The cases are unrelated, McMaster says.

In a statement posted on its website Monday, the university said the first case involves an employee who was briefly" on campus Dec. 21 and spent time in the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery. The second case also involves an employee who visited Hamilton Hall on Dec. 22.

The third person is an international graduate student who was already quarantining in residence in accordance with government guidelines after arriving in late December."

Public health is conducting any contact tracing.

A total of 18 people who spent time on McMaster's campus have tested positive since the pandemic began. Prior to these three cases, the most recent case reported was Dec. 20.

Anyone visiting campus is required to answer questions through an online screening tool, the university says.

When a person notifies the university they are awaiting test results and spent time on campus, all areas the person visited within the last 72 hours are cleaned. If the test comes back positive, McMaster does additional cleaning.

The university communicates a confirmed case to the McMaster community when it is informed of a positive test result of an individual who has spent any time on campus, even if just for a few minutes," the university said.

Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com