FHS Covid-19 Handbook

Campus

campus

CAMPUS

Welcome back to the Faculty of Health Sciences campus.

Daily Screening App

All students will need to complete the Logbox App Screening tool form and receive a Cleared message to enter any Wits Campus areas. You will need to show the Cleared message to the Security as well as present your student ID card at the turnstiles. The biometrics for finger print has been disabled. You may also be asked to present your travel permit. Click here to go to the Screening & Testing section for information on the Wits Logbox App Screening tool.

Cloth masks, hand hygiene and social distancing

All students and staff are to wear cloth masks when entering campus, as well as follow proper hand hygiene and social distancing rules at all times for maintaining at least 1.5 to 2 meters apart from another person. Students are not to gather in groups. Follow compulsory sessions on campus, students are to return to residence or home, inline with Level 3 regulation (as at June 2020). Any infraction of the rules can result in disciplinary action, including being escorted off campus.

Hand sanitiser stations are located at all entrances to be used often. All common areas, teaching venues as well as furniture will be disinfected in line with Wits University guidelines. 

Face to Face (F2F) Teaching & Assessment sessions

Students have been allowed to return to campus in order to complete the academic year where campus resources are needed - access to clinical sites, laboratories, clinical skills rooms and for assessment purposes following Lockdown regulations. Therefore, face-to-face teaching and/or assessment sessions must follow the regulations with blended learning methodologies to support and enrich face-to-face teaching activities.  Please follow the guidelines when engaging in F2F sessions to keep all of us safe.

Levels of Restriction	Key Faculty Components
Levels of Restriction	Students and Staff	Teaching & Learning	Courses and Resources	Learning spaces
Level 1: Low virus spread; high health system readiness	Majority of staff and student RTC	Online learning continues; minimal contact in small groups	All courses online, with minimal small group interaction	Limited opening of lecture halls for social distancing; all labs open for research and teaching.
Level 2: Moderate virus spread with high readiness	Preclinical and “off-line” student RTC; increase staff complement to RTC	Online learning continues; limited small group learning	All courses online, with essential small group interaction e.g. clinical debriefing	Limited opening of lecture halls for social distancing; most labs open for teaching & learning, research, clinical skills.
Level 3: Moderate virus spread with moderate readiness	Phased-in RTC of clinical and lab-based students; RTC of essential staff only	Online learning continues; training for all other clinical students	All courses online; WHSL partial reopening, Device and data access secured	All lecture and dissection halls closed; tut rooms, selected labs reopen for clinical skills; research
Level 4: Moderate to high virus spread with low to moderate readiness	Phased-in RTC of clinical students; RTC of limited essential staff only	Online learning continues; commence clinical training for final year students	All courses online; Device and data access secured WHSL closed; learning resources online	All lecture and dissection halls , labs remain closed; reset some labs for video dissections
Level 5: High virus spread and or low readiness	No students and staff on campus;	Remote, online learning only	Courses formatted for online offering; WHSL closed - learning resources online; secure devices & data access	All lecture halls, tutorial rooms, libraries, museums, all labs, including computer labs closed.

CLASSROOMS & LECTURE HALLS

Only 33% of normal capacity will be allowed in the classrooms and lecture halls. All students and faculty to adhere to the rules of wearing cloth mask, hand hygiene and social distancing with at least 1.5 to 2 meters apart from each other. Venues are to be booked through the FHS Venue Online Booking system, email christeleen.ontong@wits.ac.za. Cleaning staff will then be informed of venue use and date for pre/post cleaning requirements.

COMPUTER LABS

Closed to student use at this time. Only Course Coordinators/Administrators to book computer labs through the FHS Venue Online Booking system for scheduled assessment sessions. Only 33% capacity with students and faculty to adhere to the rules of wearing cloth mask, hand hygiene and social distancing with at least 1.5 to 2 meters apart from each other. Cleaning staff will pre/post clean all surfaces, computer hardware and furniture following University guidelines.

CLINICAL SKILLS UNIT on 3rd Floor

Student will need to complete the Wits Logbox App Screening tool prior to attending clinical sessions. All students and staff to wear cloth masks at all times, with 1.5 to 2 meters social distancing in the central area and no more than 5 students in a small clinical exam room at one time for a maximum of 45 students per clinical session using 9 clinical exam rooms. There will be no large group teaching in central room location. Less than 30 students for OSCE session spread out for 30 stations. Models and surfaces will be wiped down between each use and hand sanitiser will be available for before and after every procedure and examination. Holding venues will be set up for OSCEs for social distancing - no more than 30 students spread out over a large lecture theatre.

SMALL GROUP LEARNING (SGL) ROOMS on 3rd Floor

The SGL rooms are not available for individual or group student use. The SGL rooms can be booked by Faculty for clinical teaching sessions or OSCE assessment of students. All rules pertaining to the Clinical Skills Unit for student groups size and social distancing will apply to the SGL rooms.

SIM LAB on 4th Floor

Student will need to complete the Wits Logbox App Screening tool prior to attending SIM clinical sessions. All students and staff to wear cloth masks at all times, with 1.5 to 2 meters social distancing. Only 30% of capacity allowed in the SIMlab. This is equivalent to 10 persons as the max according to fire hazard is 35 people. All bookings for the SimLab must be made through Hilary Thurling (hilary.thurling@wit.ac.za). Bookings will be placed on the central booking system to facilitate cleaning. Only one student group will be allowed in the SimLab per day - to allow time for cleaning of the SimLab between groups. All other COVID precautions will be in place. Hand washing, wearing of masks is compulsory and face shields for close participant interaction when working with a simulator manikin.

PRACTICAL LABORATORIES

Each School to use per guidelines.

RESEARCH LABORATORIES

Each School to use per guidelines.

WITS HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY

Closed to student use at this time until further notice.

OLIVES & PLATES

The eatery in the Faculty building is open for service following current regulations for food services. Students and staff are requested to obey new rules put in place which are posted with signs and listed below:

All patrons will need to wear a face mask
As well as sanitise their hands before they enter the eatery
They must adhere to social distancing as shown by the floor stickers
Patrons to sanitise their hands after exchanging money/cards with the cashiers – card payments more advisable
The flow for waiting at call order – only two people per time in the call order section and the rest will have to keep the 2m distance behind.
Collecting, and taking items from the fridges – only one person can access the fridges at a time

Please follow all instructions as displayed on signs placed throughout the eatery. We are all safe when we all practice social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing a mask.

The eatery on the ground floor of the Philip Tobias building will remain closed until further notice.

BATHROOMS

Shared bathrooms to have social distancing with no more than 2-3 persons wearing cloth mask, proper hand hygiene, 1.5 to 2 meter distance and closed toilet lid when flushing.

ELEVATORS

Wear cloth masks
Use hand sanitiser prior/post use of lift
Not more than 4 people per lift and stand at the corners of lift
Encourage use of the stairs - it’s healthier!

GARDEN AREA

Students are encouraged to return to their place of residence following any activity on campus. Students are discouraged from gathering, we are following the Level 3 Lockdown guidelines for wearing cloth mask, hand hygiene and social distancing with at least 1.5 to 2 meters apart from another person, with no large group gatherings.