UCT preparedness for the new Level Three Lockdown regulations and other updates

14 January 2021 | Campus Announcement

Dear colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform the University of Cape Town community about recent developments on campus.

1. UCT preparedness for the new Level Three Lockdown regulation

There has been a marked increase in COVID-19 infections, hospital admissions and deaths across the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa this week announced adjusted Lockdown Level Three regulations. The adjusted regulations, published on 11 January, include new curfew hours from 21:00 to 05:00 and closure of all land ports of entry until 15 February 2021.

Read the adjusted Alert Level 3 regulations

To comply with the adjusted Lockdown Level Three, the university has in place all the necessary procedures and protocols. Under Lockdown Level Three, UCT will continue to operate as a low-density campus that relies on physically distanced learning (PDL) in the first semester of 2021, which will start on 15 March 2021.

The university’s preparations for Lockdown Level Three and for the first semester of 2021 are in line with international guidelines to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. All students and staff members will be required to produce their letters of authority, as well as evidence that they have completed the Higher Health Check app for COVID symptoms, in order to access campuses.

2. The Distinguished Teacher Award 2020 – call for nominations

Students and members of the academic staff are hereby invited to submit nominations for the Distinguished Teacher Award for 2020. The Award is the highest accolade awarded to teaching staff at all levels within UCT. Through the award, the university recognises excellent teaching and acknowledges the primary place of teaching and learning in the institution’s work.

Each year the Distinguished Teachers Award Committee considers nominations made by students and staff on behalf of a number of excellent teachers. The committee examines each submission in detail in accordance with a carefully devised rubric, terms of reference and set of criteria.

All full-time members of the staff who have taught at UCT for a minimum period of five years are eligible for the award.

Nominations can be submitted to the Committee by 19 February 2021. Nominees are required to submit their portfolio electronically by 16 April 2021. The outcomes of the adjudication process will be announced in the third quarter of 2021.

Read more on the guidelines and criteria for the awards.

3. The Annual Bongani Memorial Lecture

The Faculty of Health Sciences is hosting the second annual Bongani Mayosi Memorial Lecture virtually, to honour the legacy of the late Professor Bongani Mayosi. The event this year has received formal recognition by the UCT Council and will be an inaugural university lecture. The lecture will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform on Thursday, 28 January 2021 from 18:00.

The keynote speaker is Professor George Mensah, the director of the Centre for Translation Research and Implementation Science at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA. Professor Mensah is currently a Visiting Professor in Medicine at UCT and will speak on “A celebration of African Scholarship”.

4. COVID-19 updates

As at 12 January 2021, UCT has 265 reported cases of COVID-19 among non-health sciences staff members, with 189 recoveries. The university is deeply saddened to note that we have lost 14 staff members to the virus. With the holiday season coming to an end, UCT will also shortly provide an update on students impacted by the virus.

The university continues to urge members of the UCT community to remain alert to the reality of increasing infections in the country and support each other during this pandemic.