National COVID-19 lockdown and other updates

01 April 2020 | Campus Announcement

Dear students and colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform the University of Cape Town (UCT) community about recent developments relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

1. National lockdown

As part of efforts to minimise the spread of COVID-19, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day national lockdown which began at midnight on Thursday, 26 March 2020, and will end on Thursday, 16 April 2020. Due to the lockdown, all academic activities, including research on campus, have ceased. All students – including those who had received prior approval to stay – were requested to vacate UCT premises. UCT put measures in place for students who required assistance with travel arrangements.


2. Updates by the UCT leadership

Following the commencement of the lockdown, members of the UCT leadership have been writing to the university community to provide updates relevant to their portfolios.

The Chief Operating Officer, Dr Reno Morar, outlined UCT’s operational plan during the lockdown. Only essential staff, such as Information and Communication Technology Services, is operating on campus according to usual operating procedure. Campus Protection Services is running on skeleton staff and will maintain perimeter security only.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor Lis Lange, indicated that following sector consultations, universities have agreed that there will be a sector-wide date for the reopening of academic activities on 20 April. Consultation on the assessment framework for UCT’s remote teaching and learning is ongoing.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Transformation, Professor Loretta Feris, has emphasised that during this heightened period of stress and anxiety, UCT will continue to support students through, among others, Student Wellness Services, the Office for Inclusivity and Change, and the Student Financial Aid office.


3. UCT confirms fifth and sixth cases

The university confirmed a fifth positive case of COVID-19 on Friday, 27 March 2020.

All individuals who tested positive immediately went into self-isolation for 14 days, and all their identified contacts went into quarantine as soon as they were traced.

Subsequent to this UCT was advised of another student testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, 29 March 2020 in Eswatini. The student is receiving medical support and identified contacts were traced and advised to go into quarantine.

Going forward, UCT will provide updates on confirmed cases in the university community on a weekly basis.


4. UCT’s COVID-19 feature page

Find all the latest information from UCT about COVID-19 and what the university is doing to support the fight against the pandemic. The page is regularly updated with the latest critical information.

Staff are encouraged to add the COVID-19 banner to their email signatures.


5. HSRC COVID-19 public survey

The Human Sciences Research Council launched a public survey on Friday, 27 March. The survey aims to better understand what the public knows about COVID-19, the state of readiness to deal with this global pandemic and how they feel about it. It is expected to run for three to four weeks, following which the results will be made available to identified stakeholders, the media and community members.

 

Communication and Marketing Department


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Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March and implement a national lockdown from 26 March.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information.

Campus updates

 
  •  Information
  •  Normal
  •  Caution
  •  Alert

Daily updates


Friday, 5 February 14:20, 5 February 2021
Monday, 4 January 16:50, 4 January 2021
Friday, 18 December 11:30, 18 December 2020
Thursday, 19 November 09:30, 19 November 2020
Friday, 13 November 12:40, 13 November 2020
Friday, 16 October 10:05, 16 October 2020
Wednesday, 14 October 12:50, 14 October 2020
Tuesday, 22 September 14:10, 22 September 2020
Friday, 11 September 10:05, 11 September 2020
Monday, 31 August 12:20, 31 August 2020
Wednesday, 12 August 10:20, 12 August 2020
Friday, 7 August 11:24, 7 August 2020
Thursday, 6 August 18:26, 6 August 2020
Monday, 27 July 14:00, 27 July 2020
Wednesday, 15 July 09:30, 15 July 2020
Monday, 13 July 14:25, 13 July 2020
Monday, 6 July 16:20, 6 July 2020
Thursday, 25 June 10:15, 25 June 2020
Tuesday, 23 June 12:30, 23 June 2020
Thursday, 18 June 17:35, 18 June 2020
Wednesday, 17 June 10:45, 17 June 2020
Tuesday, 2 June 12:20, 2 June 2020
Friday, 29 May 09:25, 29 May 2020
Monday, 25 May 14:00, 25 May 2020
Thursday, 21 May 12:00, 21 May 2020
Wednesday, 6 May 10:00, 6 May 2020
Tuesday, 5 May 17:05, 5 May 2020
Thursday, 30 April 17:10, 30 April 2020
Tuesday, 28 April 10:30, 28 April 2020
Friday, 24 April 09:35, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 17:00, 23 April 2020
Wednesday, 22 April 14:25, 22 April 2020
Monday, 20 April 17:45, 20 April 2020
Friday, 17 April 12:30, 17 April 2020
Thursday, 16 April 09:45, 16 April 2020
Tuesday, 14 April 11:30, 14 April 2020
Thursday, 9 April 09:00, 9 April 2020
Wednesday, 8 April 15:40, 8 April 2020
Wednesday, 1 April 15:50, 1 April 2020
Friday, 27 March 11:40, 27 March 2020
Thursday, 26 March 18:30, 26 March 2020
Tuesday, 24 March 15:40, 24 March 2020
Monday, 23 March 15:40, 23 March 2020
Friday, 20 March 16:00, 20 March 2020
Thursday, 19 March 09:15, 19 March 2020
Wednesday, 18 March 16:00, 18 March 2020
Tuesday, 17 March 12:50, 17 March 2020
Monday, 16 March 17:15, 16 March 2020

Campus communications


New SRC and other updates 16:44, 4 November 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies 13:30, 21 October 2020
Online staff assembly and other updates 15:09, 30 September 2020
Fee adjustments and other updates 15:21, 16 September 2020
Call for proposals: TLC2020 10:15, 26 August 2020
SAULM survey and other updates 15:30, 5 August 2020
COVID-19 cases and other updates 15:26, 5 August 2020
New UCT Council and other updates 15:12, 15 July 2020
Upcoming UCT virtual events 09:30, 15 July 2020
Pre-paid data for UCT students 14:25, 22 April 2020
Update for postgraduate students 12:55, 20 April 2020
UCT Human Resources and COVID-19 16:05, 19 March 2020
UCT confirms second COVID-19 case 09:15, 19 March 2020
Update on UCT COVID-19 response 13:50, 11 March 2020
Update on COVID-19 17:37, 6 March 2020

Resources

Video messages from the Department of Medicine

Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19

The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.


To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.

Useful information from UCT

External resources


News and opinions


Statements and media releases


Media releases



Read more  

Statements from Government



 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

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.

 

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