As announced yesterday evening, the government has decided to maintain the country at an COVID-19 Adjusted Alert Level 4 for another 14 days – from Sunday, 11 July 2021 until Sunday, 25 July 2021. The State President, H.E Cyril Ramaphosa cited the level of infections in the country, which remain extremely high. Gauteng accounts for more than half of the new infections, but the infections are rapidly increasing in provinces such as the Western Cape, Limpopo, North-West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. With the Delta variant, the third wave is poised to be more severe than the first and second waves.
The decision to maintain the country at an Adjusted Alert Level 4 means that the status quo remains unchanged for our University and its operations. As communicated two weeks ago when the Adjusted Alert Level 4 was initially announced, we resolved that only essential activities will be allowed on campus – subject to extreme precautions. As such, we urge our staff members across all faculties, divisions and units to continue to work remotely as much as possible.
We also remind our students that teaching and learning will continue to remain online for the duration of the second semester, with a few exceptions, e.g. practical/clinical sessions and a few assessments. In this regard, supplementary assessments scheduled for today, Monday 12 July 2021 until Friday, 16 July 2021, are being conducted online. The few exceptions of assessments, which cannot be accommodated online, have been deferred to the special assessment period, from 29 July 2021 to 4 August 2021. In cases where these alternative arrangements are required, information will be communicated to affected students by their faculties or lecturers.
For our students who remain in campus residences, we remind them of the Residence Student Agreement entered into by the University and individual residence students two weeks ago, following the announcement of the Alert Level 4. The agreement stipulates, among other measures applied to ensure safety, that all students who wish to leave their respective residences on campuses should sign out before doing so. Similarly, all students returning to the University on or before 12 July 2021, should sign in before entering campus. Students are also reminded to adhere to the adjusted institutional curfew of between 19:00 to 06:00.
It is also important to note that our library will be closed on all campuses until 25 July 2021, and no visitors will be allowed on campuses. A further restriction is the reduced access points across all our campuses. To read about this, click here. Our Business Continuity Plan will continue as usual, with our staff working diligently to ensure that the University operates smoothly. We would like to extend our appreciation to all staff who are working tirelessly to ensure that University operations continue during these trying times.
Lastly, the University is concerned about the sporadic violent protests that flared up in some parts of the Johannesburg inner city and other areas at the weekend, and which have been accompanied by the destruction of property and looting. We urge our staff and students to refrain from travelling to areas that have been flagged as hotspots and to keep safe.
The University leadership will continue to monitor the national and provincial COVID-19 outlook, and a further update will be provided following an announcement by the President on 25 July 2021. Only information issued via the University’s official communication platforms is legitimate. This information may be verified by visiting: www.uj.ac.za/coronavirus.
We appeal to you all to adhere to the recommended precautionary measures, hygiene and physical distancing at all the times. Should any of you experience symptoms of the coronavirus, please use the National Hotline of 0800 029 999 or WhatsApp line 0600 123456 or go to the following link for more information: https://sacoronavirus.co.za/. Please also continue to check uLink. Please notify our campus clinics if you have tested positive for COVID-19, or if you know of a colleague or a student who has tested positive. Please also inform us when you receive a vaccination. The information assists us in our re-integration plans: uLink Covid-19 Services Covid-19 Vaccine Disclosure Facility.
Issued by University Management
University of Johannesburg