Classes and COVID-safety: what you need to know
If you don’t feel 100%, you should 100% stay home
If you have a tickle in your throat, a case of the sniffles or a pesky headache, it’s essential that you stay home and get tested for COVID-19. The same rule applies if you’ve been told to self-isolate. Even if you feel fine, you may be asymptomatic, so it’s really important that you get tested and stay home until you’re given the all-clear. You won’t be penalised for missing class if you’re unwell or are required to self-isolate.
Don't forget, if it's been 28 days or more since you've had COVID, you're now required to test again if you have symptoms.
Follow the guidelines
We all need to do our part to help minimise the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone in our community safe. Make sure to stay on top of all our COVID guidelines as the semester unfolds to protect yourself and the people around you.
Socially close but physically distanced
We know you’ll be excited to catch up with your uni friends, but it’s still as important as ever to make sure you’re keeping your distance. Make sure you're checking in on each other's boundaries, as everyone has different circumstances and comfort levels. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make new friends, just make sure you’re doing it safely.
Remember to protect your personal space. If someone is getting a little too close to your personal bubble, politely let them know. And if someone asks you to give them a little extra space, be respectful. Remember, it’s not you, it’s the pandemic.
Space out in the classroom
If you’re waiting to enter a classroom, stand back and give other students plenty of room to exit before you enter. Don’t crowd doorways and take your time to find a seat. Where possible, class timetables have been arranged to accommodate physical distancing between students. If you’re going to sit with your besties, keep a little space between you. Don’t move furniture around in the classroom or move chairs closer together and if you find chairs have been left a little too close by a previous class, space them back out.
Don’t forget to wipe
Hand sanitiser and sanitising wipes are available across campus. Make sure to take advantage of them to help keep your study spaces and any shared equipment clean. If you need any additional supplies, or spot an area where supplies are getting low, get in touch with the COVID taskforce at covid19.taskforce@sydney.edu.au.
Keep up-to-date with your vaccinations
Make sure you're up to up-to-date with your COVID booster vaccinations as well as your flu vaccination to help protect yourself and the community.
Wash. Your. Hands.
Washing hands has always been basic hygiene everyone should follow. Now, though, it’s more important than ever to do it, and do it properly. Soap, water, 20 seconds and a thorough scrub is needed regularly to keep your hands fresh and COVID-free. There’s also hand sanitiser all over campus – so use that too.
Travelling to campus
If you live close enough, walking or cycling to campus are both great ways to exercise and maintain physical distance from others. If you’re catching a bus or train, you'll need to follow NSW Health guidelines, such as wearing a mask, sitting or standing in allocated spaces, and catching transport at less-crowded times if you can. Here’s where to go for information.
What about face masks?
While face masks aren't currently mandatory on campus, we encourage you to wear a mask if you're indoors or can't socially distance properly, to protect yourself and others. It's important to ensure your mask is fitted correctly and to follow safe procedures for putting on and taking off masks. NSW Health have provided detailed guidance on how to wear a mask.
Stay informed
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last couple of years, it’s that things can change really quickly. Throughout semester, we may need to be in touch due to any number of reasons. It’s essential that you regularly checking your University email address, our website and our social media accounts to stay up to date.
You can also check our list of COVID cases on campus, which is updated each day with exposure locations.