19 August 2021

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CORPORATE RELATIONS

COVID-19 ALERT – HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Dear Staff and Students

With KwaZulu-Natal being one of the provinces currently experiencing a peak in COVID-19 third wave infections while on lockdown alert Level 3, the University of KwaZulu-Natal has noted with alarm the rapid increase in infections on our campuses, especially in student residences. 

We urgently implore ALL students, particularly those living in residences, to urgently and strictly comply with all COVID-19 health and safety protocols to mitigate against the spread of the virus. We furthermore earnestly appeal to all those who have tested positive or been in direct contact with infected staff members and students to isolate, self-quarantine and self-monitor. 

It is with dismay that we have learned that some of those who have tested positive are refusing to go to an isolation facility that has been organised to prevent further spread and infection. With the Delta variant, all age groups are vulnerable. As part of the University COVID-19 Protocols, which are in line with the National Department of Health regulations, students living in the residences who test positive for the virus will be isolated in a state facility. This means that if a person has contracted COVID-19, or are suspected of having contracted COVID-19, or have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, they have to be admitted into a quarantine or self-isolation facility or isolate at home. For any student who has contracted COVID-19 and refuses to go to the state isolation facility, transport will be provided for the student to go home. This is irrespective of where their home destination is. UKZN will continue to put the health and safety of its staff and students first.

We are also pleased to launch our #LetsPushAgain COVID-19 Awareness Campaign to do whatever it takes to have a #COVID-19FreeUKZN for the sake of all of us.

We have produced a very comprehensive pack of sensitisation materials, including short, animated videos, screensavers, banners, and posters. We are also implementing a new computer screensaver to create safety awareness amongst staff and students as an additional measure.

Please visit UKZN Intranet to watch the Let’s Push Again video.
Or
Watch it on UKZN’s YouTube channel here.

We hope these will to inspire everyone to go the extra mile and push again.

As we prepare for vaccine rollout, it’s important to take the time to learn more about vaccinations and to encourage others to do the same.

Please remember to follow all safety protocols without exception. Break the chain of COVID-19 transmission by practising physical distancing. This means keeping a distance of at least 1m from each other and avoid spending time in crowded places or groups. It is mandatory to WEAR YOUR MASKS AT ALL TIMES and ensure that you regularly wash your hands and/or use a hand sanitiser. You are implored to adhere to the current national lockdown restrictions and avoid large gatherings as they are considered super spreader events.

Let’s adhere to the following simple health and safety protocols to stay safe:

• Wash or sanitise our hands regularly
• Keep a physical distance
• Wear masks at all times
• Quarantine after being in direct contact with people who have tested positive
• Avoid large gatherings at all costs.
• Visitors are still NOT allowed in the residences

Let us all do the right thing and take responsibility for our health and safety.

Let us protect ourselves and those around us.

Stay safe.

Issued by

Ms Normah Zondo

Executive Director: Corporate Relations Division

UKZN email disclaimer:
The contents of this e-mail may contain personal information, and/or privileged information, and/or confidential information. The information contained herein is therefore only meant for consumption by the recipient mentioned and for the purpose as specified in the body of the e-mail. Should you receive this e-mail in error kindly inform the sender of such by responding to the sender via a response e-mail and thereafter please delete the original e-mail received as well as the response e-mail. The University of KwaZulu-Natal e-mail platform is meant for business purposes (of the University) only and the University therefore does not accept any liability whatsoever that may arise from instances where such platform is utilised for personal reasons. Any views or opinions expressed in this e-mail represent those of the author and may not necessarily be binding on the University. The author of the e-mail may also not bind the University in any manner that may be construed from the contents of the e-mail unless such sender has been granted the requisite authority to do so by the University.

28 September 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CORPORATE RELATIONS

ALERT: COVID-19 REMAINS A SERIOUS THREAT

To Staff and Students

The University Community is reminded that the Coronavirus remains a serious threat to health and life despite the country having recently moved to Level 1 in its COVID-19 strategy. Health and safety protocols must continue to be strictly adhered to if a resurgence of the disease is to be averted.

Level 1 has allowed all students to return to campus and residences, and for most sectors of the country’s economy to be revived. The decreasing number of daily new infections informed this decision. On 27 September this stood at 1 268.

Across the world, though, several countries are experiencing a second wave of COVI-19 infections – a deadly disease for which there is still no cure or vaccine.

We must continue to observe all health and safety protocols. These include:

• Wearing a mask at all times,
• Maintaining social/physical distancing,
• Washing or sanitising hands regularly,
• Restrictions on large gatherings.

The University has done all it could to ensure the health and safety of those who returned to campus in the past few months. We have to uphold and maintain these efforts.

Globally, Europe is experiencing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases after successfully slowing down outbreaks early in the year. Some countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Montenegro and North Macedonia have seen higher case numbers in August than they did earlier in the year.

France, the UK, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain are dealing with the much-feared second wave and have started implementing measures to curb it.

The safety and protection of our staff and students remain paramount as the virus is still active and a serious threat in South Africa.

For information on prevention measures, please visit: https://vc.ukzn.ac.za/covid-19

Take care, and stay safe.

Issued by

Normah Zondo

Executive Director: Corporate Relations (Acting)

24 August 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CORPORATE RELATIONS

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL BELONGINGS

To Staff and Students

Registered students and non-registered persons who wish to collect their personal belongings from the University and leased residences will be permitted in accordance with the strict guidelines outlined below. 

All persons must be screened in line with COVID-19 guidelines prior to entering any campus. All persons are expected to report to the Risk Management Services (RMS) control room and will be subjected to verification by the officers on duty. A team of security officers will be deployed under the instruction of the security manager. The collection time of personal belongings will only be during normal working hours from 08h00 to 16h00.  The collection date is only from the 1^st to 12^th September 2020.

The official from the Department of Student Residence Affairs (DSRA) responsible for each campus will provide a list of persons expected to collect belongings to RMS Security manager. A member of staff from DSRA will manage the keys to the room and the area where the items are stored. An inventory of items will be populated by DSRA officials and signed off with the recipient.

The security manager on each campus will deal with any non-compliance situation in accordance with University processes.  The RMS team will then escort the person/s off UKZN premises.  People collecting their belongings will have to leave immediately thereafter, as no overnight stays will be allowed.

All persons are urged to cooperate and comply with established guidelines to allow for an efficient and cordial process.

Issued by

Normah Zondo

Executive Director: Corporate Relations (Acting)

24 August 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CORPORATE RELATIONS

STAGGERED RETURN TO CAMPUS OF STUDENTS UNDER LOCKDOWN LEVEL 2

To Staff and Students

At midnight on Monday, 17 August 2020, the country went into lockdown level 2. In keeping with the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) guidelines,  the University is currently preparing for the next phase of the staggered return of students to campus. Under lockdown level 2, a further one third (1/3) of the UKZN student cohort may be invited to return by the end of September 2020.  

The following categories of students have been regulated as eligible to return to campus:

• Students that have been identified as having significant challenges with online learning
• Students that have been identified as residing in non-conducive living and learning environments
• All first-year students, and
• Students in laboratory-based programmes in the STEM disciplines.

The EMC Return to Campus Task team has identified approximately 2500 students having significant challenges with online connectivity and/or non-conducive living and learning environments, and these students will be invited back to campus, starting from the week of 31 August 2020.  Eligible students will be notified of their respective return to campus dates via a personal invitation sent by the School or College.

If you do not receive an invitation, please do not return to campus or the residences as there are strict security measures in place to manage and control access.

Furthermore, academic and professional services staff that have been identified as essential to providing academic instruction and learning support to returned students have been invited back to campuses and residences.

Additional LANS and demarcated areas which will be regularly monitored and sanitized will be made available for use by students while they are physically on the campuses. These identified areas will be communicated in due course.

The Department of Student Residence Affairs will be ready to accommodate the returning students who are taking up their residence place.   

Only students who have received a personal invitation to return to campus from their College will be eligible to apply for an access permit, and the following procedures and protocols will apply:

1. The online access permit application portal (https://forms.ukzn.ac.za) will be opened 48 hours before the date of your scheduled return to campus. Please consult the invitation you received to confirm your identified date of return. 
   
   Please note that the system will only be open to eligible students. Student cards of only those students invited back/eligible to return to campus will be activated for access at the same time.
2. When the web page opens, you will need to log in with your LAN user name and password.

You will then be taken through the following steps:

3. Code of Conduct, General Indemnity and Health Vulnerability questionnaire:

3.1. You will be presented with a Code of Conduct that you need to read and click ACCEPT, before being presented with.

3.2. A General Indemnity that you need to read, and click ACCEPT, before being presented with

3.3. A Health Vulnerability Checklist with three (3) questions that you need to answer with either a YES or NO. The default response is set at NO. If you are, for example, a student living in residence, please ensure you change this response to a YES.

A UKZN Access permit will then be generated and sent, via email, together with a copy of the Code of Conduct and General Indemnity Form to your UKZN student email account.

PLEASE NOTE:

• You can only apply once for the access permit. No further applications are allowed by the system.

• If you need to exit the system during the process, when returning to the webpage, you will be taken to the place in your application where you last left off.

• Queries related to problems/issues with the ‘forms.ukzn.ac.za’ process need to be sent to studentpermit@ukzn.ac.za. Please note that this address should not be used for more general queries about returning to campus.  ICS staff will not be in a position to assist you, and any general query email may go unanswered.

6. On entering campus and/or your residence, you will be required by the Security staff on duty to:

 6.1. be wearing a mask

6.2. present your access permit

6.3. present your student card

6.4. undertake the UKZN COVID-19 self-screening check and present the report generated to the staff member (https://selfscreen.ukzn.ac.za).

Note that the University access gates will only operate for purposes of access from 06h00 to 18h00 every day. No access will be granted outside of these hours.  The opening hours of the University access gates are to ensure the safety of persons entering and leaving our campuses, as we do not want students travelling in the dark.  Please ensure you make appropriate travel plans keeping these opening hours in mind.

Please remember that all Level 2 regulations need to be adhered to at all times.

Issued by

Normah Zondo
Executive Director: Corporate Relations (Acting)

3 August 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: HUMAN RESOURCES

VULNERABLE STAFF (60 years and/or staff younger than 60 with underlying health conditions/comorbidities) AND RETURN TO WORK

Dear Colleagues

To date, all vulnerable staff have remained at home as they are deemed very high risk for exposure to COVID-19 and a number of them would ordinarily be working in high risk areas. 

This is likely to have an impact on service delivery for staff who would otherwise have been required to return to campus.

While there is no regulation which stipulates that employers must permit staff to remain at home, the War Room has advised EMC that these staff members should not be encouraged to return to campus but instead should be supported to work remotely where possible or take leave where not. Line managers are required to assist colleagues with suitable/commensurate workload for remote working. Where this is not possible employees are to take advantage of the university’s leave facilities. Please note that this is a temporary arrangement until the University revises its position.

Staff with underlying conditions/comorbidities are required to submit a medical certificate to their line managers confirming that they cannot return to work on campus during lockdown due to their condition. The certificate does not have to specify the condition.

Regards

Dr PS Zulu
Executive Director
Human Resources

21 July 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER

STUDENT FEES AND CASHIERS: PROCESS TO BE FOLLOWED DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dear Staff and Students

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, access to the University has been limited and face to face contact has been discouraged. In order to limit the exchange of physical documentation, staff and students are encouraged to follow the process below:

1. Do you need your fee balance?

            Updated fee statements can be accessed on Student Central.

• Go to https://sc.ukzn.ac.za
• Log onto Student Central.
• Click on SELF HELP tab and choose Student I-Enabler.
• Click on Student Enquiry (Tab to the left).
• Click on Summarize Statement of Account.
• Your fee balance will appear. Click on FEE to get your full statement

1. Do you have a fee query?

Send an email to your campus Fees Officer and we will answer your query. Email addresses:

• edgewoodfees@ukzn.ac.za
• howardfees@ukzn.ac.za
• pmbfees@ukzn.ac.za
• westvillefees@ukzn.ac.za
• medschfees@ukzn.ac.za

1. Do you need a refund?

Complete a refund form and ensure that we have your correct bank details on the system. For bursary students, kindly contact your Student Funding Advisor. For self-funded students, kindly send the form to your Fees Officer on your campus for assistance

1. Adding/Changing Bank details?

Complete a bank detail form and submit with all supporting documents to the Fees e-mail address for your campus. Bank detail forms are available online on the Student Portal. Required supporting documents are detailed on the form.

1. You did not receive your allowances?

If your bank details are incorrect, send an e-mail query to the Fees Office on your  campus. If your bank details are correct, then kindly contact the Student Funding advisor.

1. Do you need to make a payment towards tuition or residence fees?

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) /Direct Deposit payments (FOR SELF FUNDED STUDENTS- NOT FOR SPONSOR DEPOSITS)

Bank : Standard Bank

Branch : Westville

Branch Code : 045426

Account Number : 053081072

Reference : Student Number ONLY

1. For queries on or reservation of Petty Cash Requisitions

Petty cash requests must be kept at a minimum

            Send an e-mail to the following:

• PMB                                   Ndlovub2@ukzn.ac.za
• Westville                           Qwabeml@ukzn.ac.za
• Edgewood                        Chettyna@ukzn.ac.za
• Howard College               Kheswakc@ukzn.ac.za
• Medical School                Kheswakc@ukzn.ac.za

Issued by

Mrs N Mbhele

Chief Finance Officer

29 June 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND GOVERNANCE

UKZN HEALTH SCREENING APP

Dear UKZN Staff/ Students

As per COVID-19 regulations, the University has an obligation to ensure the safety and health of employees.  A UKZN communication was released to all employees on 15 May 2020, on the mandatory COVID-19 screening and requirements for accessing all UKZN campuses during the lockdown.

The UKZN Health Screening App has been designed with the assistance of Occupational Health and Infectious Disease Experts specifically to record typical symptoms that may be associated with COVID-19.  Although the physical recording of temperature demonstrates an activity to control access, the fact is that temperature measurements is actually very weather and operator dependent and may present false results, especially when an individual has taken medication to suppress fever.  The different questions on the symptoms and exposure to COVID-19 on the health screening App was carefully weighted to produce a screening result of Green, Orange or Red.

As the screening result is extremely important to manage access to UKZN and identify individuals who may be developing symptoms of COVID-19 or who already have active COVID-19 it is important for staff and students to respond truthfully when completing the self-screen questionnaire.  There are serious legal implications if it can be proven that an individual provided false information with the aim of influencing the self-screen result.  The App has been designed such that symptoms which may indicate the development of COVID-19 will indicate an orange screening result and distinct symptoms will result in a red screening result.

All students and staff as well as visitors to UKZN will have to complete the health screening on a daily basis before access is granted to any campus or UKZN facility.  The application can be accessed at https://selfscreen.ukzn.ac.za.  Once Staff/Students present their health screening result, the RMS Officer will do a fact check to confirm identification, screening status, name, date, and time. 

The Health Screening can be taken prior to arrival at the entrance gate and only the results need to be shown to the RMS Officer on duty. This is encouraged to speed up the process at the gates.

The screening result can be one of the following:

o          No Risk Status (GREEN)

            Staff/Students/Visitors will be allowed to enter campus

o          Low Risk Status (ORANGE)

Staff/Students will be allowed to enter campus but will be requested to visit the Campus Health Clinic / Occupational Health Clinic to verify their screening result and receive health advice.

When the screen result is orange, an electronic notice will be sent to Campus Health Clinic / Occupational Health Clinic and the individuals access card will be temporary de-activated. The access cards will only be re-activated 24 hours after the individual has visited the clinic and the result of their health screening has been confirmed by the clinic as green (no risk).

o          High Risk Status (RED)

• Staff who screen Red will not be allowed onto campus and the Screening Support Task Team will be contacted to assist with verifying the screening result. 

If the result is subsequently amended to green or orange the process described above will apply.

If the result is defined as Red, staff will be advised by the Screening Support Task Team Member to visit their general practitioner or visit a hospital flu clinic for COVID-19 Testing. 

The Screening Support Task Team will assist staff who are pedestrians or who use public transport to get to a Hospital Flu Clinic for screening and testing for COVID19 if required.

Staff members will be required to self-quarantine until the test result is made available.

• Students who screen Red will be taken to Campus Health Clinic / Occupational Health Clinic facility by the Screening Support Task Team for collection of a saliva sample to test for COVID-19 by in-house UKZN laboratories.

The student will have to go into self-quarantine until their test result is available. 

Once the result is available the individual will be advised by the Campus Health Clinic / Occupational Health Clinic on the way forward.

Should students test positive, particularly those in residences, they will be admitted to the nearest isolation facility provided by the KZN Department of Health. This is to ensure:

• compliance with Government Regulations;
• that the spread of the virus is limited;
• that the health and safety of all other students are maintained;
• they receive the appropriate care by trained medical professionals.

Staff members and students who are unable to undertake the UKZN self-screen before leaving home, or in Residence, will be assisted by the RMS Officer at the entrance/residence to complete the self-screening.

Issued by

Kishore Gobardan

Executive Director: Institutional Planning  & Governance

19 June 2020

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR

INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 SELF-SCREENING AND TEMPERATURE SCANNING

Dear Staff and Students,

The Occupational Health and Safety regulations gazetted on 4 June 2020, requires an employer to take measures to screen all workers when they report for work.

This screening must be undertaken to ascertain whether the worker has any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, as per the current NICD definition, and determine whether they suffer from any additional symptoms associated with COVID-19.  

With this in mind, UKZN has developed an APP, https://selfscreen.ukzn.ac.za  that will be used at the University for screening.  Every person entering the University precinct(s) will be required to present their daily self-screen report, or undertake the screening via the UKZN APP at the University entrance, with the assistance of the RMS staff on duty.

Many questions have however, been raised about temperature screening.  UKZN will not be screening temperature over and above the use of the daily self-screen APP. This decision was taken after due consideration of a medical opinion requested from the infectious diseases physicians of the COVID-19 war room.

The medical opinion noted that based on the available scientific evidence, temperature screening with cutaneous infrared thermometers should not be undertaken, as there was very little evidence for their use in the context of screening large numbers of people, and there was no evidence that temperature screening performed better than self-report of fever.

Further, cutaneous infrared thermometers:

1. have a rather low accuracy,
2. are heavily operator dependent – so the distance between the thermometer and the person’s skin will affect the accuracy for example,
3. readings can be affected by the outdoor temperature,
4. are futile where people may take paracetamol and other drugs to lower their temperature, and lastly,
5. fever in Covid-19 (as with most infections) is not persistent, so measuring temperature at a single point in time during the day is not reliable in detecting true fever.

The medical opinion concluded that, on balance, the limitations of temperature scanning outweighs the benefits, and that it is very unlikely to be an effective measure to prevent and control Covid-19 on our campuses.

In coming to the conclusion that it did, the University had to carefully balance a number of factors. These included the actual requirements of the regulations, the scientific evidence available and as reported in the medical opinion obtained.  The practicality of temperature scanning approximately 16000 staff and students daily (with the phased return of one third of the student and staff population), and understanding that approximately 17 University entrances are open on our five campuses, was also considered.

I trust this information will assist to allay any ongoing concerns, and confirm that the UKZN screening protocol was carefully considered. Your support and ongoing co-operation with the following measures in place at the gates would be appreciated: self-screening on the UKZN APP, wearing a mask and presenting the requisite travel permit and staff or student card.

Thank you.

Issued by

Dr KE Cleland

Registrar (Acting)

As you are no doubt aware, the Government lowered the national lockdown to Level 3 on the first of June. Under these conditions, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, announced that higher education institutions are permitted to partially re-open, to a maximum of one-third of their total student populations. For UKZN, this means we will be able to bring back approximately 15000 students.

Given our multi-campus and student residence environment, and the large number of students concerned, we have to ensure that we plan and proceed in a very structured and organized manner. This requires us to choose which cohorts of students should be included within our allowed numbers; and make extensive and detailed plans for ensuring everyone’s health and security, both on our campuses and in residences. A Campus Readiness Task Team has been established to plan and manage the considerable challenges involved.

The Minister has stipulated the categories of students who will be eligible to return to campus, and this return will be phased over a 2 to 3 week period. We have analysed these categories to accord with the particulars of UKZN’s student profile in order to ensure that entire cohorts can be brought back to campus without exceeding our allowed maximum. Medical School students in their final year were allowed on campus during lockdown level 4, and they will be included in the determination of the maximum number UKZN is permitted.

The Task Team has analysed our student enrollments in conjunction with the student categories stipulated by the Minister and is currently finalising the list of who will be eligible to return to campus and student residences (where applicable) under Lockdown Level 3. Our preliminary analysis indicates that we would be able to bring back the following categories of students:

Final year undergraduate students enrolled in laboratory-based programmes who are on track to complete their qualifications in the current academic year;

• Students in clinical programmes – this will be based on the availability of clinical learning opportunities; the College will communicate the details directly with students.
• Students with disabilities;
• Limited numbers of post-graduate students who require access to laboratory equipment for their studies;
• the SRC Executive
• Student residence assistants, student life officers, and residence assistant officers; and
• Students appointed as laboratory demonstrators for the students in the programmes that will be eligible to return to campus.

There is currently a screening process being undertaken to determine the individual students and the total number of students who will be eligible based on the criteria above.

There will be health screening of all eligible students. Details on health screening using an app will be provided in a subsequent communiqué, together with details on the stringent health and safety protocols that students will need to adhere to when they return to campus. Eligible students will be issued with permits to enable them to travel in due course. Students who are not issued with permits or are not individually notified that they are eligible to return to campus, will not be allowed to enter the campus or student residences.

We will notify all eligible students individually as soon as possible, of a return date as we still await the Minister to gazette the regulations for the return of students to campuses.

I appreciate that these arrangements will entail countless inconveniences for many of you; and, of course, a disappointment for many more. However, within the quite specific Government stipulations, we have striven to be as equitable as possible. So, I must ask that everyone who is not deemed eligible for return to campus to continue to observe the lockdown and refrain from trying to enter the campus. To do so would place additional strain on-campus security and pose a health risk to one and all.

I am very grateful to members of the Task Team, and to the support staff across the University for their hard work in ensuring that our partial re-opening runs smoothly and safely. Further details will follow as soon as possible.

Since the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation’s announcement on the return of a maximum of one-third of the student population, the UKZN leadership has been carefully planning for the event. The logistics and planning for the return of the students and staff is complex, and has to be undertaken carefully and systematically, especially in light of the rapidly increasing confirmed daily cases of COVID-19 nationally over the last two weeks. We do not want to jepordize the health and safety of our students and staff, and therefore a carefully mitigated approach that minimizes risk was sort.

There have been some additions to the categories of students eligible to return to campus which was listed in my communique of 7 June 2020. The following categories have now been confirmed for return to campus under Level 3 Lockdown:

1. Final year undergraduate students in programmes which are laboratory based, who are on track to complete their degrees in this academic year;
2. Students in programmes which are clinically-based (lists determined by the College of Health Sciences);
3. Students with disabilities;
4. SRC executive;
5. Student residence assistants, student life officers, and residence assistant officers;
6. Undergraduate students that have not been able to access Moodle and who are not already included in (a) and (b). Those to be included are determined by analysis of data on access to Moodle by ICS and Institutional Intelligence;
7. Post-graduate students who require access to laboratory equipment. Lists have been compiled by each of the Colleges;
8. Honours and Post-graduate Diploma students whose work is laboratory-based;
9. Students appointed as laboratory demonstrators for the students in the programmes that will be eligible to return to campus.

It is planned that the first cohort of students under Level 3 Lockdown will return to campus on Monday 29 June 2020. Colleges will be contacting individual students over the course of the next week to inform you of your eligibility to return to campus. If you have not been contacted, please note that you must not return to campus. There will be very strict regulations with regard the access to the campuses and residences, and therefore students that are not in procession of a permit will not be allowed access.

Students who are at high risk of infection due to health issues, including co-morbidities, are encouraged to not return to campus and continue with online teaching and learning. There will be no contact teaching and learning (i.e. physical lectures), except for laboratories. We encourage all students who are able to study online to continue to do so and not return to campus.

The Colleges will be staggering the return to campus, and students must take note of the dates provided to them for the return to campus. Due to health and safety measures, and ensuring compliance with regulations, students may not necessarily be accommodated in the residence that they were allocated pre-lockdown. Eligible students will be informed of their assigned residences. Students returning to University owned and leased residences will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days on returning to the residence. Further details on health screening and training of students on health and safety etiquette will follow in a subsequent communiqué next week.

Students who have been contacted by the Colleges and have been informed that they are eligible to return from 29 June 2020 will have to apply for permits. The details for the application for permits will also follow in a subsequent communiqué.

We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus; however, we must emphasize that the return to campus will come with the expectation of a strong sense of personal and community responsibility, particularly with respect to compliance with regulations and adherence to health and safety protocols. Every student returning to campus will have to consent and adhere to a strict code of conduct. Further details in this regard will be shared in the coming days.

The determination of which students are eligible to return to campus under Lockdown level 3 has been finalised and Colleges and Divisions are now at work to determine which administrative, technical, and academic staff will need to return in order to provide instruction and support to the returning students.

The first students will be returning to campus from 29 June 2020. Under Lockdown Level 3, we will continue with online teaching and learning and therefore there will be no physical lectures. There will however be formal instruction for the laboratory, practical and/or clinical components of modules. Staff and student demonstrators involved in these laboratory modules will be required to be on campus for scheduled events. Professional services staff who are essential for the support of the returning students will all need to be available on campus. 

We would like to ensure that only staff essential for the instruction and support of the students return to campus. Even in the case of these returning staff, we would encourage them to only make themselves available on campus for the period when it is essential for them to be available. At all other work times, they should endeavour to work from home. Division, College, and School leadership will shortly be informing those staff who are deemed essential for this phase of the return to campus.

Staff asked to return to campus will be required to undertake health screening on each of the days they come onto the campuses (https://selfscreen.ukzn.ac.za)

UKZN is well aware of the need to adhere to strict health and safety protocols in order to minimise the risk of the spread of COVID-19 and ensure compliance with government strictures. Our health and safety teams have developed protocols and measures that are currently being rolled out across our campuses, and these should be in full effect by the time of return of staff and students.

We look forward to the return of staff and students to our campuses but emphasise that we all have to be extra vigilant and responsible of our health and safety practices so as to ensure that collectively we minimise the risk of spread of the virus in our community.