BREAKING NEWS: UCT suspends classes after staff member tests positive for Covid-19 UCT has a confirmed case of the coronavirus on campus. The university was this afternoon made aware that a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.
Cape Town - The University of Cape Town executive and the Leadership Lekgotla, following the address by President Cyril Ramaphosa and on the advice of a range of agencies and health specialists, took a decision to break immediately for Term 1 vacation and to suspend classes as from and including Monday, 16 March 2020 .
The Term 1 vacation would have started on Saturday, 21 March 2020. It will now commence immediately. Term 2 was set to commence on Monday, 30 March 2020, but UCT will confirm the beginning of Term 2 after an assessment of prevailing and quickly changing circumstances. In terms of staff, UCT has to ensure that work continues. Every member of the Leadership Lekgotla has been charged to give attention to those services and activities in their portfolios where staff can work remotely. Essential services will have to continue on campus, but gatherings and work meetings will be minimised while ensuring work continues wherever possible.
Members of the university community who are well and who have been in close contact with the staff member have been instructed to remain in quarantine for 14 days while being monitored for symptoms. Currently the recommended action for a single case in a school or university is not closure. Closure is only recommended if there are several cases.
The university is also working with the provincial and national agencies to establish appropriate quarantine facilities for asymptomatic people. Any case where a person is symptomatic will be dealt with via the provincial and national guidelines and protocols.
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