Covid-19: NWU female residence temporarily closed down

North-West University (NWU) Heide female residence at the Potchefstroom Campus closed down on Thursday, 22 October, after students tested positive for Covid-19, while others have been identified as contacts. According to Louis Jacobs, NWU spokesperson, 71 students have been placed under quarantine and self-isolation. “Over 40 students are currently being accommodated at Dennepark, our quarantine facility,” said Jacobs. Other contact students, including those who have tested positive for the virus, have been released to self-isolate at their homes or at a state facility of their choice. All students who were residing at the residence were released to go home. Jacobs says the university’s recess began today, but the respective students will be informed when they may return to their residence, once their safety can be ensured. The university has started with the deep cleansing process at the residence. In an article by NWU, since the first Covid-19 cases were reported at the institution, to date, a total of 186 colleagues, students and contract workers have tested positive for coronavirus across all three campuses (Potchefstroom, Mahikeng and the Vanderbijlpark), and at least 712 people (staff, students and contract workers) were contacts. The patients and their families are or were placed in quarantine or self-isolation. “We are pleased to report that 138 of the 186 persons who were positive have now recovered from the virus. This shows a recovery rate of just more than 74%”. Prof. Dan Kgwadi, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of NWU, appeals to students to be careful as we are not out of the woods yet. “It saddens me that not all of us have been complying with the regulations and protocols that have been put in place to keep us safe from the coronavirus and curb its spread. This is reflected in the growing number of students who have contracted this awful virus. Remember, your actions will have a direct impact on you and those around you,” stated Prof Kgwadi. He concluded by pleading with students to comply with the university’s protocols that are put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus and to save their lives, and of their families and friends. Jacobs would like to remind students to strictly observe national and the university’s protocols and regulations provided, to avoid disciplinary actions. “We have instituted disciplinary measures against a number of students who aren’t adhering to protocols and national regulations, and we will continue to do so,” said Jacobs.