Your role in limiting the health risk of returning to UCT

Dear students and colleagues

The shift to Lockdown Level One from midnight on Sunday, 20 September 2020, combined with the phased return of some students and staff members to campus, is raising many questions about the possible effect on the University of Cape Town (UCT).

I am writing to remind you that our top priority is the health and safety of every person who enters campus property. For this reason, only those who have received written invitations or letters of authorisation may return.

All of us on campus, staff members and students, need to help each other to follow the basic rules for reducing the chance of spreading infection:

• Wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth at all times when outside of your private room or workspace.
• Keep a distance of 1.5m from other people. Staff members must maintain this distance at their work areas.
• Regularly wash or sanitise your hands (sanitisers are available at all building entrances).

Everyone who returns to campus at this time will need to observe all public health and safety protocols.

Students can only return to residence if they have received an invitation to do so, and may only arrive on the date specified in that invitation. Students exercise individual accountability in complying with the obligatory public health safety measures listed above, to protect their own health and that of the residence community.

Catering operations will resume from 1 October 2020 for students who have meal plan options. Students undergoing compulsory quarantine can collect daily meal packs at a designated point within the residence during quarantine. Students will only be allowed in the dining hall after they have completed their compulsory quarantine and must comply with the dining hall protocols.

Cleaning materials and refuse bags will be provided to residence students to freshen up their rooms and dispose of refuse. Students will remain responsible for their room hygiene.

As a campus community, we are relying on each of you to take personal responsibility to follow these protocols and to remind each other if someone happens to forget them. Because these protocols are so important, there is also a legal responsibility to follow them. In adhering to these protocols, we are fulfilling our part of the collective community responsibility to help protect people from the impact of this pandemic. We are jointly responsible to protect all students, staff and visitors to UCT, as well as their loved ones at home. We are responsible for each other and UCT will take the required action against any breach of these protocols.

In an effort to prevent persons who may be infected with COVID-19 from entering the university and transmitting the infection, Campus Protection Services (CPS) colleagues are under instruction to check all people coming onto campus. For access to campus, each staff member and student must first receive a letter of authorisation to enter campus. You must complete a daily COVID-19 symptom checklist using the Higher Health app. No person will be permitted to enter campus without the ‘green light’ on the app as evidence that you are symptom safe to do so.

• Access the Higher Health app

You must be able to show the Green result of the Higher Health app every day, along with your letter of authorisation. Access to buildings will be monitored by CPS colleagues. Anyone entering a building must use the hand sanitiser at the entrance*. Stricter protocols may also be required for access to certain labs and offices.

Because of the need for social distancing, it is safest to limit the number of people on campus and in rooms. For this reason, we still encourage UCT students and staff members who can work from home to continue to do so.

I urge you to read the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about UCT’s response to COVID-19. We will continue to update the FAQs as new information becomes available.

• Read the FAQs about UCT’s response to COVID-19

It is important to remember what President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “By any measure, we are still in the midst of a deadly epidemic. Our greatest challenge now – and our most important task – is to ensure that we do not experience a new surge in infections.”

• Read the President’s full statement
• Read the Government Gazette of 18 September 2020 on Alert Level 1

Because we are a campus community, it is important to watch out for each other. We do this by each taking personal responsibility to follow the protocols during this COVID-19 pandemic as well as helping others to be compliant with the protocols. Thank you for paying attention to these rules and helping each other to follow them.

Sincerely

Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng
Vice-Chancellor

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements