Facilities Management and Ancillary Services staff were at the forefront of the implementation of McGill’s measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on its campuses: ordering, distributing and recycling masks, installing signage and hand sanitizer units, assessing capacity in classrooms with physical distancing, overseeing the management of positive cases on McGill campuses, and much more.
Below are some interesting facts related to these prevention measures. How many right answers can you get?
How many masks have been distributed at McGill since the start of the pandemic?
- 1.5 million
- 2.5 million
- 3.5 million
Answer
McGill has distributed 3.5 million procedural masks on its campuses since the start of the pandemic. This number includes the masks made available at building entrances and those purchased by the faculties and departments.
Hand sanitizer dispensers were installed at most building entrances at the start of the pandemic. What quantity of hand sanitizer has been purchased by the University so far?
- 5,674 liters
- 8,251 liters
- 9,389 liters
Answer
McGill has purchased 8,251 liters – equivalent to 13,752,000 squirts – of hand sanitizer since it installed dispensers in its buildings.
How much disinfectant has been used since the start of the pandemic?
- 195,478 liters
- 240,413 liters
- 487,439 liters
Answer
Cleaning crews have used 240,413 liters of disinfectant since the start of the pandemic. For those familiar with the 11th floor boardroom at 1010 Sherbrooke, this volume is enough to fill the room 1.3 times!
Design Services had to assess each classroom at McGill to calculate maximum capacities for three possible distancing scenarios: 2 meters, 1.5 meters and 1 meter. How reduced is a classroom’s capacity when 2-meter distancing is applied?
- It is reduced to 15% of its usual capacity.
- It is reduced to 25% of its usual capacity.
- It is reduced to 35% of its usual capacity.
Answer
Generally, the capacity of a classroom was reduced to 15% of its usual capacity when 2-meter distancing was taken into consideration, 20% with 1.5 meters and 50% when 1-meter distancing was applied. This varied depending on the layout of the space and on whether the classroom had fixed seating or movable furniture, explains Cyril Cavalier, Design Manager, Design Services.
The Case Management Group (CMG), a central service where members of the McGill community could report a positive diagnosis if they’d been on campus in the previous 48 hours, report symptoms or simply ask questions, was in place from October 2020 to April 2022. How many calls did the CMG receive during that time?
- 2,387
- 3,566
- 4,170
Answer
The CMG answered 3,566 calls while it was in place. In addition to individuals reporting a positive diagnosis, “[we provided] guidance on COVID health guidelines and accommodations. We conducted daily case assessments with our team of subject matter experts* and followed up on cases for contact tracing and coordinating any additional disinfection that was required,” explains Vanessa Chan, Emergency Preparedness Officer, who supervised the CMG for a while and acted as liaison between the CMG and the Emergency Operations Centre.
*Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources (Disability Management) and the Office of the Dean of Students.
How many times did the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) meet during the pandemic?
- Twice a month
- Twice a week
- 417 times
Answer
You read that correctly: the EOC committee members met 417 times, in addition to holding countless other meetings with subgroups. The EOC brings together representatives from all areas of the University. McGill's EOC for the COVID-19 response was responsible for overseeing the continuity of activities in compliance with government directives.
For Sarah Delisle, Senior Advisor, Emergency Management & Preparedness, who led a substantial portion of the EOC meetings, the pandemic brought out the complexity of McGill’s operations.
“The all-encompassing nature of the pandemic response affected all aspects of University activities and operations – from academics and research to student life and administration – and presented a real learning curve for understanding local needs and processes at the faculty and unit levels,” she says. “The opportunity to work with so many colleagues from across the university has been an unexpected benefit of the response – from senior leadership to unit leads to building directors. Working with these various stakeholders has helped [Emergency Management & Preparedness] better understand the University context, the needs, and the resources available and will be invaluable for fostering increased resiliency post-COVID.”
Read our article on the work of the Facilities Management and Ancillary Services teams during the COVID-19 pandemic:
A view from the ground