Dear colleagues and students
This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.
1. Resurgence of COVID-19 cases
The University of Cape Town (UCT) community is reminded to remain vigilant in the wake of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the southern suburbs, where cluster outbreaks have been identified and at least three COVID-19 cases were reported specifically at UCT. Students and staff members are urged to continue exercising caution by avoiding spaces and places where there is greater exposure to the virus, and reminded that it is more important than ever to continue safe health practices.
2. Annual research symposium and research function
The UCT community is invited to attend two virtual events to be hosted by the Research Office. The Research Symposium will present an opportunity to rethink the PhD in Africa and the Global South and collaborate with the d-school at UCT. The Research Function will present an opportunity to meet Dr Linda Mtwisha, the new Executive Director of the Research Office, and hear her in conversation with Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Professor Sue Harrison about what the next year might bring for research at UCT.
3. Limited reopening of UCT Libraries
The network of UCT Libraries across campuses and faculties reopened on 12 October as self-study spaces only during restricted hours, and at certain locations due to their spatial layout and seating capacity. This is in line with UCT’s approach to the completion of the 2020 academic year using remote teaching, along with the phased return to campus of some students and staff members following lockdown. The libraries will be staffed by small core teams as determined by the limited services currently on offer and the REDCap personal health assessment results. Libraries with spatial and proximity constraints have been excluded from this arrangement. These are WH Bell Music Library, Hiddingh Hall Library and Bolus Herbarium Library.
4. Update on COVID-19 cases
The university has 104 reported positive COVID-19 cases among non-health sciences staff as at 20 October. A reported 91 staff members have recovered. With regards to students, 74 cases have been reported, including 12 health sciences students on clinical platforms.
The staff and students’ deaths due to the pandemic remain nine and one respectively. The university has created a dedicated web page through which we pay tribute to students and staff lost during the pandemic.
5. UCT cleaning services available under strict conditions
UCT cleaning staff are working under very strict conditions in line with lockdown level one. Their duties are limited to specific public areas. This means that staff members and students need to take responsibility for cleaning and sanitising their own rooms and workspaces, including doorknobs and other surfaces that they may touch. Students in residence and staff members working on campus must empty their own refuse bins.
Please respect the cleaners’ boundaries, which have been set to protect all of us. Staff can, however, request cleaning of public spaces such as reception areas, meeting rooms and toilets.
Contact the cleaning service team: Paulina Johnson, 063 058 3496; Mogamat Benjamin, 083 775 6016; or Marlin Arendorff, 079 602 0246.
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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.