Please add your voice to the discussion about mandatory vaccination at UCT

Dear colleagues and students

The University of Cape Town (UCT) executive is supportive of a policy requiring mandatory vaccinations for UCT staff and students.

We wish to meet staff and students to share our position and the reasoning behind it, give the context to that position and engage and receive input.

The executive will, after taking into consideration the views of staff and students, form a final position on the matter that will then be tabled at Council at its meeting on Saturday, 16 October.

As part of starting this process, we have set up two initial information sessions to include you in this important discussion: one for students and one for staff.

Each session will include time for experts to present information on the science of vaccination and the UCT context. The meetings will take place on the MS TEAMS platform to allow you to submit questions and comments.

The information sessions will be held as follows:

• Staff engagement session
  from 11:15 to 12:45 on Wednesday, 13 October 2021
• Student engagement session
  from 10:15 to 11:45 on Thursday, 14 October 2021

It is important that you attend the session that is appropriate to you and that you submit any questions and comments you have so that the executive can be as well informed as possible before the first discussion at Council.

You are also invited to complete a short survey for staff and students expressing your views on a proposed policy. The survey will close on Thursday, 14 October at 18:00.

As many of you may be aware Senate voted overwhelmingly in favour of mandatory vaccination at their last meeting and the UCT College of Fellows has released a statement supporting mandatory vaccinations. We urge all UCT staff and students to attend the sessions so that we are able to hear your input and views on the matter.

I look forward to your participation at one of the sessions.

Please note that there is a lot of information on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations available to you on a dedicated UCT webpage. Please study the information.

If you have not yet been vaccinated, I do encourage you to do so as that will help keep down the rate and the severity of COVID-19 infection. You and members of the general public are welcome to visit the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence, with access from Broad Street. The site is open from 08:00 to 15:00 on Monday to Friday. In the event that the centre will be open on a given Saturday, that will be announced on UCT’s social media channels.

Sincerely

Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng
Vice-Chancellor

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements