Student session on repealed COVID-19 regulations

25 July 2022

Dear students

We are delighted to welcome you back on campus after what I hope was a good and restful break in the past few weeks. As we welcome you back, my wish is that this semester will be a progressive and successful one for you all in your studies.

You would all be all aware by now that South Africa has repealed COVID-19 regulations. The announcement was made by Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla on 23 June 2022.

For the University of Cape Town (UCT), this means that we are no longer restricted by regulations around the number of people who may be in indoor public spaces. We have resumed working from campus; resumed public gatherings on campus; and are no longer required to wear face masks in classes, lectures, labs and meetings.

Given these developments, we understand that as you make your way back to campus many of you may have questions regarding any other implications for operations because COVID-19 is still very much in our midst. We have therefore arranged a student engagement session to discuss and answer these.

I invite you to join me together with my colleagues at an information session where we will provide an update and endeavour to respond to any questions and concerns. I will be joined by Dr Reno Morar, COO and Chair of the COVID-19 Coordinating Committee as well as two speakers – Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, Chair and HoD of the Department of Medicine and Dr Memory Muturiki, Director of Student Wellness Service.

The panellists will include Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC): Research and Internationalisation; Professor Harsha Kathard, acting DVC: Teaching and Learning; Mr Pura Mgolombane, Executive Director: Department of Student Affairs; and Dr Tracey Naledi, Deputy Dean: Health Services, Faculty of Health Sciences.

When: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Time: 17:30–19:00
Platform: Microsoft Teams

This session was delayed until after the start of the semester to provide an opportunity to share updates with you once you are back on campus. I hope that many of you will be able to join. A similar session was arranged for staff a few weeks ago.

On behalf of the leadership of UCT, I thank each of you for your diligence in helping to keep UCT as safe as possible during the height of the pandemic. It was difficult for all of us, but we learnt to persevere and be creative within the regulations.

Sincerely

Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng
Vice-Chancellor

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.


Read previous communications:


Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


UCT’s response to COVID-19

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.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

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 Phakeng

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.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

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.

 

TOP