This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
As the country prepares to ease back to normalcy starting September 2020, the Ministry of Education has laid out conditions for universities to reopen.
According to a circular issued by University Education & Research Principal Secretary Amb. Simon Nabukwesi on June 18, 2020, the Ministry of Health projects that COVID-19 infections will peak between August and September, after which cases will start falling.
Amb. Nabukwesi has directed Vice-Chancellors to come up with reopening plans for their institutions, ensuring that they meet the minimum requirements for preventing the spread of the virus.
These requirements include:
- Providing clean running water and soap for handwashing
- Supplying sanitizers
- Frequently cleaning and sanitizing frequently touched objects with disinfectants
- Ensuring adequate space for social distancing
- Mandating the use of masks or face shields for learners, lecturers, and non-teaching staff, with universities providing these items at subsidized rates
- Using thermo guns to monitor body temperature of all persons entering the public university and specific public spaces on campus
For institutions still using their facilities as isolation, quarantine, or treatment centers, managers have been asked to liaise with the Ministry of Health to cease further admissions and transfer patients to Ministry of Health facilities.
“Once the patients are transferred, you must ensure that the facilities used during treatment are properly fumigated for safe use as per the guidelines by the Ministry of Health,” Amb. Nabukwesi emphasized.
Universities have also been directed to provide contingency plans for students who might need assistance to get back to campus and those who might not be able to make it back.
“Universities should be able to make sure that students and staff who might not be able to make it back are facilitated to continue teaching and learning remotely,” said Amb. Nabukwesi.
