The University of the Witwatersrand has instructed 350 students to self-quarantine.
This comes after Wits University was informed that a medical student who has been in quarantine since last Wednesday has tested positive for the Covid-19 Coronavirus.
In the statement, Wits University made the following immediate decisions:
- The cancellation of all contact classes for the Graduate Entry Medical Programme 1 – MBBCh 3 classes. The academic programme will continue online
- All students in the affected student’s class have been instructed to go into self-quarantine for 14 days with immediate effect.
- The Faculty is personally reaching out to each of the 450 students who could be affected. They will receive the full support of the Faculty, including the requisite monitoring and testing.
- The Dean of Students, Mr Jerome September will coordinate arrangements for students who live in residences, and who require self-isolation. All students who require assistance should contact Thembelihle Dlamini on 0728390233. Those who require counseling can call the 24-hour Wits student support number on 0800 111 331.
At the end of the statment the University says “We will get through this difficult period together.
The @WitsHealthFac student who has been in quarantine since last week has tested positive for #COVIDー19. All 350 students who could be affected have been instructed to go into self-quarantine. All GEMP 1/MBBCh 3 contact classes to go online. SET meets today to plan way forward. pic.twitter.com/KMSFUMbXXi
— Wits University (@WitsUniversity) March 15, 2020
Earlier this week on Twitter the Wits University said in a statement that the medical student who is in self-isolation is well and is not displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
UPDATE: The medical student who is in self-isolation is well and is not displaying symptoms of COVID-19. We are cautiously optimistic that the individual may not have been infected, although we are still waiting for the final test results. We will keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/uT4jUNYCUG
— Wits University (@WitsUniversity) March 13, 2020