While the National State of Disaster has ended, transitional prevention measures are still in place for at least the next 30 days. You are requested to familiarise yourself with the following, especially if you have not already returned to working on campus.
Return to Campus processes
You no longer need a permit to study or return to work on campus. However, to ensure a safe working and study environment, you are expected to:
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Wear masks inside all buildings and venues
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Adhere to minimal in-person interaction. For example, through staggered meal-times and by ensuring that desks / seating is kept at least 1 metre apart
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Ensure adequate ventilation through mechanical or natural means
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Continue handwashing and sanitising
Online screening tool
The University’s online screening tool has been updated and simplified. You will be expected to show this when required at specific entrances https://webapps.mandela.ac.za/screening especially since screening at the gates is no longer happening.
Deemed unfit to work on campus?
Staff members who have been deemed unfit to return to work are to follow the normal leave procedure by, for example, submitting medical practitioner medical reports and sick notes to your line manager. Please use the following link to declare co-morbidities of concern
https://hrapps.mandela.ac.za/CO-MORBIDITIES
Management of a communicable disease
Once South Africa has exited the pandemic, COVID-19 will be treated as any other notifiable communicable disease. This means it must be reported to public health authorities.
Right now, however, the following is applicable:
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COVID-19 positive cases with no symptoms do not require isolation
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COVID-19 positive cases with symptoms require seven days of isolation
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Contacts do not need to isolate unless they develop symptoms
In addition:
Follow up on COVID-19 positive cases will still be monitored by Occupational Health Services who will also assess individuals regarding fitness to return to work.
Vaccination of staff and students ongoing
The University’s stance on vaccination remains the same – that of strongly advocating its benefits for the following reasons:
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Scientific evidence has shown vaccine safety and efficacy in COVID-19
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Prevents serious illness, hospitalisation and death
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The greater the proportion of the University community vaccinated means greater protection against spread of the virus
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Allowing greater number of staff and students to safely return to campus
Vaccination will continue to be available for staff and students on campus.
Quarantine of students for COVID-19
The following is in place to support the wellbeing of students:
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Students who present with symptoms and are sharing with others (roommate or commune), will be considered for admission to a facility to quarantine overnight, to prevent spread of the virus and be referred for COVID-19 testing the next day. Testing is done for those with symptoms.
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No student / group of students/ class or residence will be quarantined as per the previous cluster management quarantine guidelines.
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The classroom is not considered a facility of long stay; hence no cluster management is necessary, as now only hospitals and care homes are regarded as communal spaces.
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No quarantine is required for students coming back to residences or campus after vacation.
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International students will quarantine after international travel according to the COVID-19 international travel guidelines.
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Students with ongoing exposure to asymptomatic COVID-19 infected persons (at residences) do not require quarantine.
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Students who have been exposed to COVID-19 should monitor themselves for symptoms and report to Student Health for screening and testing.
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Symptomatic persons who have been identified as requiring testing or who have tested but are awaiting test results will be discharged if they test negative. Symptomatic students with a negative test should be re-tested after three days. Additionally, a PCR test can be conducted to decrease the incidence of a false negative test result.
Contact tracing
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Active contact tracing has been stopped, with the exception of a cluster of COVID cases in a health facility or care home occurs.