Nelson Mandela University COVID-19 Update - 27 November 2020

27/11/2020

The Eastern and Western Cape provinces, where Nelson Mandela University campuses are situated, are experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 infections.  The rate of infections and fatalities is a cause for concern.

Nelson Mandela Bay and the Garden Route, in particular, have been declared hotspots, recording increasing COVID-19 cases daily.

Anecdotal evidence associates the increase in infections to “COVID-19 fatigue”, particularly around adherence to safety and prevention measures. Unfortunately, the virus does not tire and remains active.

For Nelson Mandela University, this resurgence, or second wave, appears to have a greater impact than the first, with the highest number of cases being recorded in the month of November.

To date, a total 156 staff and 180 students have tested positive for COVID-19, with 19 and 29 active cases remaining respectively.

Encouragingly, and for the first time in recent weeks, the University is beginning to see a decline in the rate of infection. This signals that the various interventions put in place in the continued fight against the virus, are beginning to bear fruit.

Cluster Management

The University responded to cluster outbreaks by developing and implementing a comprehensive Cluster Management system, which saw the quarantining of the affected spaces.  This was as a means to contain the spread of the virus and offer the requisite health and wellness support.

This system, aimed at quickly identifying any potential for outbreak and proactively working to deal with this as far as possible, has resulted in the decline in the rate of infection on campus, particularly among students.

Residences

As part of mitigation measures, the University has developed a comprehensive risk profile for each residence, and an accompanying action plan, which it has been implementing over the past week.

A particular focus is presently on the off-campus residences, where the bulk of student cases have been reported.

Intensified efforts in the fight against this pandemic, including mass screenings and restrictions to on-campus activities, will continue, working with various stakeholders, until there is a sustained flattening of the curve.

Academic Support

In line with the overriding objective of enabling students to safely complete the academic year, various interventions been put in place.

These include:

  • Continued technology support for enabling remote working,  learning, teaching and research;
  • Continuation of data provision and device support to students for the remainder of the academic year
  • Continuation of the data claim regime and requisite device support for staff
  • Development of ICT systems and online solutions to enable access to services and other resources.

George Campus

George Campus has intensified its efforts towards ensuring that staff and students are protected against the current infection spikes in the district.  To date, the campus has recorded a total of two positive staff cases, with one of the affected staff members completing their isolation on 26 November 2020.

There are presently no active student cases on the Campus.

Conclusion

While there remains a number of active COVID-19 cases among staff and students, it is encouraging to see that the mitigating interventions are yielding positive results.  For Mandela University to continue seeing a decline in the rate of infections, the entire university community should continue adhering to the set regulations and protocols.

The University’s efforts are all aimed at saving the academic year, while also saving lives. The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic remains in our hands.

Coronavirus Task Team