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It has been four months since the University of Cape Town suspended all mass gatherings on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown. In light of this, the university has decided to move certain 2020 events online.
The annual TB Davie Memorial Lecture, organised by the Academic Freedom Committee, will take place on Wednesday, 5 August, at 18:00. It will be delivered by guest speaker Professor Ravi Kanbur.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture series will also be moved online. Professor Hussein Suleman, head of the Department of Computer Science, will present his lecture “Computer science at times of crisis: reflecting on societal drivers for software and algorithm design” on 30 September.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put inequalities in the higher education sector in the spotlight. In response, UCT is hosting a series of virtual events under the banner: “Unleashing the new global university”. Two events have already taken place, with the following to come:
Read more about “Unleashing the new global university”.
The university will continue to limit the number of people on campus and has developed a COVID-19 Return to UCT policy framework accordingly. In order to engage with staff on this, UCT’s chief operating officer, Dr Reno Morar, will host an open PASS Forum virtually on 6 August 2020.
Read an update by the COO: Key framework for returning to UCT.
Women are especially celebrated in August with a special focus on those who have achieved greatness in their fields. This year, the annual Women’s Month event will be held online. UCT Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe has been earmarked as the keynote speaker, while panellists will include For Womxn by Womxn Scholarship recipients. Further details will be shared later.
When lockdown started, the UCT executive was already engaging with staff to develop a new university strategy that focuses on the challenges and opportunities as we move towards 2030. To ensure that the UCT of tomorrow is responsive to the needs of future generations, a number of online sessions will be held with various staff groupings to continue this process. Details will be shared in the next few weeks.
View the Vision 2030 document.
Please visit the Coronavirus Disease 2019 page on the UCT News website for more information.
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COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.
On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.
With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi PhakengWith the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.
If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.
IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.