Dear SPU Community

My best wishes to you and your families for a prosperous, productive, and healthy new year.

On 28 December 2020, President Ramaphosa, placed the country on a Level 3 Lockdown, due to a second wave of COVID-19 infections, and which will be in effect until 15 January 2021. Since we are scheduled to reopen the University on Monday, 11 January 2021 we have had to amend some of our operational protocols to align with the lockdown regulations.

The current Level 3 regulations do not prohibit a return to work so the opening date for the University staff remains 11 January 2021. All staff are therefore required to physically return on this date, except those who are officially on leave.

The regulations do specify that face to face meetings must be limited, that adequate social distancing must be enforced and that the necessary health and safety precautions need to be in place to accommodate staff. With this in mind we will make the following provisions:

• Staff who have comorbidities or those over the age of 60 will have a choice on whether to physically return to campus or work from home but are expected to return to Kimberley. The working arrangement needs to be explicitly communicated and agreed with their line manager.
• It is acknowledged that many staff members are currently out of the Northern Cape Province. Staff who are returning from places outside of Kimberley (specifically from designated hotspot areas) will need to isolate for the requisite 10 days before returning to campus.
• To minimise the impact on our operations and to allow for the requisite self-isolation, where necessary, all meetings and events will be held online via the MS Teams platforms until 22 January 2021. 

The above arrangements are subject to revision based on any changes in the national situation and will be communicated to you as they occur.

Please note that the University has put all the necessary health and safety measures in place, and you are requested to adhere to these protocols on campus and in your daily lives.

Remember to sanitise frequently, wash your hands often, wear a cloth mask and maintain social distancing.

Kind regards

Professor Andrew M Crouch

Vice-Chancellor and Principal