The SRC calls for immediate action against the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and the greater Makhanda community. We would like to address the matter and how the University can better prepare and prevent the spreading of the virus.
In his address last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa discouraged non-essential domestic travel. Ramaphosa has also issued travel bans on travellers from high-risk countries such as the US, UK, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Germany, and China. People within South Africa have also been discouraged from travelling to these countries.
We are aware that international students make up a significant portion of our student community. We also note that some students come from provinces that already have confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in South Africa.
If students go home for the vacation, this could risk Rhodes University and the Makhanda community being exposed to the virus. Given the risk associated with travelling home for the holiday period, we encourage all students to remain safely in Makhanda during these last two weeks of term as well as the vacation period until further information is provided on this pandemic. The SRC requests that the University provide free vacation accommodation to all the students who stay in residences.
To further ensure the safety of students during this time, we urge the University to provide all dining hall meals as packed meals. The meals should be delivered to residences during standard meal times to avoid congestion at dining halls when students are collecting their food. We also propose that students be asked to sign for their meals instead of scanning their fingerprints.
In his address, the president made it explicitly clear that gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited. We welcome the notice from the Vice-Chancellor that classes have been temporarily suspended for today. We do, however, ask that the University provide more clarity on this matter and extend the suspension of classes to apply to the remaining two weeks of this term.
As many of our classes are made up of 100 or more students in a single sitting, the SRC finds it necessary to halt lecture attendance, including tutorials and practical sessions that require such gatherings for the remainder of this term. Lectures should provide hard copy study materials and make use of our online resources to allow students to study in their rooms.
We also appeal to departments to adhere to the communication from the University by not only suspending classes but by even postponing tests as these would still constitute mass gatherings. Submissions should also be suspended.
We plead with the students who own laptops and smartphones to work from their rooms instead of going to the Library and Computer Labs. Doing so will reduce the number of students in these facilities and ensure that students without digital devices can use them without risking exposure to the virus.
The University should adopt a system that can control the number of students who access the library and labs at one time. We propose that less than 100 students could be allowed in the facilities for 2 hours at a time. The SRC also calls on the University to close the gym and suspend all the contact sporting activities.
There is an urgent need to intensify hygiene control measures, and this includes the provision, fixing, and refilling of santiser dispensers inside and outside venues such as the Library, Computer Labs, and Residences. Sanitisers should also be provided in the Oppidan buses.
We call on the University to utilize the resources of the Pharmacy Department to make hand sanitisers to reduce costs and ensure a sustainable supply. The department can make use of the guidelines on the World Health Organization’s website for clarity on this process.
Preventative Measures
- Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and do so into a tissue or flexed elbow.
- Thoroughly cook animal products (meat and eggs).
- Seek medical care early if you are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above.
- Wash your hands properly and regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
- Clean the surfaces of items you use on the regular such as phones, keyboards, and doorknobs
Avoid
- Touching healing wounds, blemishes, and squeezing pimples.
- Sharing personal items.
- Touching your T-zone area (eyes, nose, and mouth).
When to wash your hands
- After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.
- After feeding or stroking your pet
- After using the bathroom
- Before preparing or eating food
- Before and after visiting and caring for a sick person.
The SRC notes that the situation may lead to high levels of anxiety on campus, and we ask all students to do their best to remain calm. There is a high rate of survival amongst those infected with the Coronavirus. We would also like for the student community to be kind and considerate of one another during this time.
We are entering the flu season, kindly refrain from fuelling any stigma against those who might be showing flu symptoms. Remember that these are your friends and fellow students and encourage them to contact a medical practitioner if they become ill.
Contact:
Secretary-General, Shanti Khosa
046 603 7083
Issued: 16 Mar. 2020