Dear colleagues
With State directives governing the use of masks changing at 12:01 am Friday (tomorrow) morning, I write to confirm that the wearing of masks in (general) indoor shared spaces on our campuses will no longer be mandatory once the directive has ceased.
Please note that mask wearing will still be mandatory in certain university settings, predominantly in health service domains, until further notice. Local area notifications will provide advice in such circumstances.
Current public health advice is that mask wearing is an effective method for the reduction of transmission of Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses (particularly as we enter flu season) and I do encourage you to consider wearing one for your protection and the protection of others. Those choosing to do so should be supported and made fully comfortable to enact their choice. Please remember that respect is a two-way street, and individual choices around masking – or not – in non-mandatory settings should be recognised and accepted.
As always, if you are feeling unwell, please seek medical advice or attention and do not present on campus.
Look after yourselves and one another, and do enjoy the forthcoming Easter break.
Best regards
As we continue to be affected by COVID-19 I wanted to provide you with an update on theUniversity’s operations for the upcoming study and research periods.
Our priority, as always, is to deliver high-quality on-campus experiences and a safe andinclusive working environment for us all. Given South Australia’s diminishing case load andhigh vaccination rates, I’m pleased we can now begin reducing some of the existingrestrictions, and ask that you familiarise yourself with the following arrangements.
Teaching, Learning and Research Activities
Campus Access and Protocols
On behalf of all UniSA staff, we look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Best regards,
Dear colleagues,
It’s now a little over two years since our national borders first closed in an attempt to quell Covid-19 transmission, and we are still writing emails about how best to manage our operations in the shadow of the virus – would that this was otherwise! This communication is, thankfully, one of reducing restriction rather than prescribing additional disruption to how we interact with one another.
Our priority, as always, is to deliver high-quality on-campus experiences for our students and a safe and inclusive working environment for us all – where we can connect to one another as colleagues and as a community. As you’re aware, we had previously signalled that certain flexible working arrangements and a preference for online provision of education (teaching, learning and research) would be in effect until March 31st.
We are very cognisant of the impact such sustained measures would have on commencing and returning domestic and international students and their UniSA experience, particularly as we approach Orientation. Accordingly, and coincident with SA’s diminishing case load, high vaccination rates, and the return to schooling now underway for primary and secondary levels, we are at a point where we can revise these provisions, with the following ‘return to campus’ measures.
From Monday 14th February, our flexible work provision is being adjusted to up to 40%.
Our expectation is that from Monday 14th February, staff will physically present for work, on campus, for at least 60% of their working hours. Where you can carry out your duties remotely or from home, have the appropriate line management approvals in place, and should you choose to do so, you will still have the flexibility to work remotely, for up to 40% of your working hours. In all instances, you should discuss your personal circumstances with your line manager.
Lectures will remain in online delivery mode, with all other teaching, learning and research activities transitioning back to our previously established ‘Covid-safe’ face-to-face on-campus delivery modes, ready for the commencement of SP2 (or as soon as practicable if temporary arrangements up to 31st March have already been formalised and communicated to student cohorts).
Students will be advised of any applicable changes through separate communication, coordinated by SAS and informed by each Academic Unit.
Public events may now be held on campus in line with approved Covid-19 management plans.
Where you are required to carry out your duties from an on-campus location, all applicable Covid-19 management protocols will be in effect. UniSA ID swipe card access will no longer be required to enter common facilities, but the use of the SafeZone app is still encouraged.
All staff, students and visitors will still be required to wear facemasks in all indoor communal university settings – including all indoor public, shared or open plan office or administrative areas, meeting, library, laboratory, teaching, learning and research facilities. Facemasks (Detmold level 3 surgical grade) will continue to be made available for all staff and students from Campus Central hubs and FM Assist.
These changes are commensurate with our commitment to recognising the endemic nature of the virus, mirroring those enacted in the wider general community, and are central to us normalising our reaction to its occurrence in our population. We will continue to manage Covid-19 in accordance with all applicable health regulations and advice, and as we would any other communicable illness that may occur within a population as large and diverse as the university community.
These arrangements are expected to be in place until state-wide requirements are further significantly modified, and, as always, we will continue to adapt to the external environment as appropriate. It is also my intent that this new (up to 40% remote) level of workplace flexibility arrangements can be more formally assessed and formulated into an ongoing policy position within the University.
Remember, if you feel unwell, you should not present for work on-campus. Please do look after yourselves and one another, and please do ensure you are fully vaccinated. Thank you once again for your understanding and patience as we navigate these changing times.
With best regards,
Dear students
Welcome to those of you who are starting your UniSA journey, and welcome back to those of you continuing your studies in 2022.
I’d rather hoped I wouldn’t have to write many more emails on the topic of Covid-19 this year but it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. What we have seen epidemiologically iscertainly encouraging. Vaccination is clearly suppressing the severity and duration of illness for those displaying symptoms, affording protection and minimising the hospitalisation risk for those who are fully jabbed – which is good – and underpins the importance of vaccination for us all.
Of course, given that we have seen a shift in the impact of Covid-19 societally since borders reopened and with increasing case numbers, it’s appropriate that we would clarify how the University is approaching operations in the coming weeks.
We are moving to recognise the endemic nature of the virus and to normalise our reaction to its occurrence in our population. We will manage Covid-19 in accordance with all applicable health regulations and advice, and as we would any other communicable illness that may occur within a population as large and diverse as the University community.
The following arrangements are in effect until close of business on 31st March 2022.
Effective immediately and until further notice, all staff, students and visitors will be required to wear facemasks in all University settings – including all public, shared office or administration, meeting, library, laboratory, teaching, learning and research facilities. This approach will mitigate ‘close contact’ risk for our entire community.
If your studies are expected to be impacted by a positive Covid-19 test result or the need to self-isolate, please inform your Course Coordinator (or supervisor if you are a HDR student). Alternatively you can contact Campus Central. The supports and consideration ordinarily afforded in any occurrence of personal illness will apply. In any instance where a positive case is known to have been on campus in our facilities, the appropriate sanitisation measures will be applied.
These measures will be continually reviewed as the situation evolves, and further advice will be forthcoming. Thank you for remaining flexible, I’m hopeful that we are turning the corner on this one and that we will return to conducting business as usual on campus in the short term.
As always, please refer to the UniSA Covid-19 Website for up-to-date information, including Student FAQs.
Best regards,
Dear Colleagues
Welcome back and happy 2022!
I do hope that you managed to get some quality downtime over the holiday break. I’d also rather hoped I wouldn’t have to write many more emails on the topic of Covid-19 this year but it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. What we have seen epidemiologically is certainly encouraging. Vaccination is clearly suppressing the severity and duration of illness for those displaying symptoms, affording protection and minimising the hospitalisation risk for those who are fully jabbed – which is good – and underpins the importance of vaccination for us all.
Of course, given that we have seen a shift in the impact of Covid-19 societally since borders reopened and with increasing case numbers, it’s appropriate that we would clarify how the University is approaching business continuity and operations in the coming weeks.
Firstly, I want to emphasise that we will no longer be ‘reacting’ to Covid-19 exposure or cases as exceptional events – we are moving to recognise the endemic nature of the virus and to normalise our reaction to its occurrence in our population. We will manage Covid-19 in accordance with all applicable health regulations and advice, and as we would any other communicable illness that may occur within a population as large and diverse as the University community.
The following arrangement are in effect until close of business on 31st March 2022.
During this period:
The University remains open for business for our teaching, research, support and administrative functions. Where you can carry out your duties remotely or from home, have the appropriate line management approvals in place and should you choose to do so, you have the flexibility to work remotely. Where you are required to carry out your duties from an on-campus location, all applicable Covid-19 management protocols will be in effect.
From close of business tonight and until further notice, facemasks will be mandatory for all attendees of all on-campus activities unless medically exempted.
In terms of other elements of day-to-day Covid-19 management, I believe it is important for us to recognise and collectively normalise the reality of living with Covid in our community in as safe, pragmatic and trust-based way as possible and as such, the following considerations apply.
From tomorrow, the University will no longer be enacting internal ‘contact tracing’ nor will we maintain live listings of exposure sites where Covid-19 positive cases may have attended. In any instance where a positive case is known to have been on campus in our facilities, the appropriate sanitisation measures will be applied.
Students should inform their Course Coordinators directly (and HDR students their supervisor(s)) if they have returned a positive Covid-19 test result or if they are required to self-isolate by virtue of having been deemed a close contact, and again the supports and consideration ordinarily afforded in any occurrence of personal illness will apply.
Collectively, these measures afford us a risk minimisation framework for dealing with endemic Covid-19 in our community. The approach is practical and equitable and mirrors that enacted in the wider general community. These measures will be continually reviewed and as we approach SP2 Census Date (31st March 2022) further advice will be forthcoming.
Thank you for your continued forbearance and patience, I’m hopeful that we are turning the corner on this one and that we will return to conducting business as usual on campus in the short term.
Best regards
Ensure you stay updated with the University’s response to the novel coronavirus by doing the following: