The Department of Student Affairs’ Student Wellness Service (SWS) aims to provide support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The support includes providing COVID-19 prevention information prior to arrival on campus, along with symptom screening on arrival in residence.
The SWS COVID-19 response team
- provides care and support to UCT students with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 and those who test positive for COVID-19;
- conducts contact tracing and notifying all contacts of cases to help limit the spread of infection in residences and prevent cluster outbreaks; and
- provides COVID-19 prevention education and support to UCT students infected with COVID-19 as well as the UCT community at large.
All students should abide by all Department of Health and UCT regulations, procedures and protocols and take all necessary steps to minimise the possible spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing Coronavirus disease.
Find here information on COVID-19 prevention, SWS contacts, SWS resources, UCT resources and useful links relating to the fight against COVID-19.
SWS continues to support students with its offerings of Medical Services, Counselling Services and Pharmaceutical Services.
COVID-19 prevention
In public and shared spaces, please adhere to these critical preventative measures:
- Always wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Wash your hands.
- Don’t touch your face.
- Keep 1.5 metres apart.
- Cover your cough.
It’s also important to avoid the three C’s, as overlapping factors increase the risk of infection in these situations:
- Crowded places and social gatherings.
- Close contact settings
- Confined and enclosed spaces
UCT's COVID-19 isolation medical facility
All Africa House (AAH) has been designated as the UCT isolation medical facility for students living in a university residence who may be infected with and/or have tested positive for COVID-19.
Isolation will ensure that students who in the UCT residence community are away from others while they recover so they do not unknowingly infect others.
See our COVID-19 FAQ page for all information about isolation medical facility, including admission criteria and procedures.
How you can reach out – SWS contacts
If you have any queries regarding this information, please contact us via one of the following channels:
Confidentiality: All medical or psychological information discussed with clinicians and staff at SWS remains confidential, as is the case with all our consultations. Read more
COVID-19 resources from SWS
Further COVID-19 documents and resources supplied by SWS for the UCT community:
- COVID-19 Student Support Plan (Feb 2022)
- Mental health in the time of a pandemic, presentation by Dr Mwanja Chundu, Psychiatrist (Mar 2021)
- SWS Quick Reference Guide COVID-19 (Feb 2020)
COVID-19 resources from UCT
For tools, resources and news relating to COVID-19 and UCT campus life, see here:
- The UCT Daily Health Screening app Completion of the screening on the day of visit is mandatory for entering UCT’s campuses and must be completed every time you come to one of UCT's campuses. The screening is done via the UCT Mobile app; for more information on the app, incl. installation, login and support, see UCT Mobile .
- UCT's response to COVID-19 Visit the site for latest UCT-related news and annoucements.
Useful links
For the latest information on COVID-19 prevention and precautions, visit these websites:
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) COVID-19 Portal
- South African Department of Health COVID-19 Online Resource and News Portal
Please also keep updated with information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the news and at UCT.
The SWS COVID-19 response team
Outreach Medical Officer
Dr Nandipha Qangule
Clinical nurse practitioners
Zamokuhle Mabaso
Zanele Mpehle
Phunyezwa Langa
Buli Rorwana
UCT support team
All Africa House COVID-19 isolation medical facility support staff
UCT Properties & Services (shuttle service)