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Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)

Notices

Directions on a National Framework and Criteria for the management of the 2021 Academic Year in Public and Private Higher Education Institutions

6. Student Accommodation and Residences

 

6.1. Students returning to HEI-owned and managed accommodation and residences should be identified at institutional level, concomitant with numbers that can be accommodated to enable physical distancing, the handling of communal spaces, hygiene requirements and dining hall arrangements.

 

6.2. Institutions must identify the specific students1 who may return to residences and provide formal approval to validate their return.

 

6.3. Students who live in private rented accommodation may return, but their access to campus may be limited to keep the campus population manageable, consistent with the appropriate Risk Alert Level applicable at the relevant time for mitigation of the spread of the infection.

 

6.4. There is no limit to the maximum percentage of students allowed to return to student accommodation and residences. However, institutional plans must demonstrate how the number of students in a residence will be accommodated safely whilst adhering to all health and safety protocols in place.

 

6.5. It is understood that many student accommodation and residences include shared rooms, and it would be difficult for institutions to return all students that require accommodation without utilising shared room spaces. This requires that careful protocols and rules are put in place and adhered to in order to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. For example, HEIs should ensure vigilant daily screening protocols are put in place, particularly in rooms accommodating two students, in addition to the normal screening and cleaning protocols that should be in place.

 

6.6. Each HEI must make its own decision and plans about how to manage the integration of students into student accommodation and residences and to do so in a way that ensures health and safety protocols are stringently followed. Permission letters should be issued to enable strict controls for managing access to student accommodation and residences.

 

6.7. Institutions are advised to liaise with HIGHER HEALTH that can provide training and skills transfer to private accommodation managers and staff; in-house residence wardens; support staff and other frontline staff including cleaning and security staff, in COVID-19 prevention, protocols and understanding on infection control in communal areas such as dining halls, cafeteria, including cooking and cleaning spaces and shared accommodations which present areas of heightened risk of exposure and transmission of the virus. Training on routine cleaning is guided by the Higher Health protocol referred to under 5.6.4 above.

 

6.8. Institutions must develop detailed plans for occupancy of student accommodation and residences and provide guidance to approved/accredited private accommodation providers. Strategies should be put in place in dining halls, kitchen facilities and other social spaces to ensure that physical distancing and health strategies are adhered to. Strategies and plans should prioritise vulnerable students and staff.

 

6.9. Students residing in student accommodation and residences should sign an agreement that they will commit to safe behaviour and that they will not, during this time, participate in off campus activities that are risky.

 

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1 This implies that some students who may be permitted to return to residences may be supported though remote teaching and learning methodologies and will not return to campus for contact teaching.