13 March 2020

Dear students,



As you know the World Health Organisation has now declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. While there have been no confirmed cases on campus, today we have sought advice from the NSW Chief Health Officer and are taking further action to help contain the spread of the virus and protect the health of our staff and students, and the broader community.



On-campus events Given the increasing concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the community, particularly with winter flu season approaching, we are now asking staff to cancel or defer any event until advised otherwise. From Monday 16 March this will apply to all University events or events hosted on our campuses including student, academic and public events and conferences. It does not, however extend to our regular teaching and research activity at this stage.



Unfortunately, this will also mean cancelling all graduation ceremonies from Monday 16 March. Students will be graduated in absentia and offered the opportunity to attend a ceremony later in the year. We will communicate with graduands regarding this today.



If you are part of a student club or society, sporting club or other group who hosts events, we strongly recommend that you cancel or defer on-campus activities or gatherings for the time being.



We anticipate it may not be possible to resume these events until the spring, likely in late August or early September. We will review this position at the start of Semester 2, and keep you informed.



Preparations for a temporary campus closure I know many of you have questions about the circumstances under which we would temporarily close part or all of our campuses. This decision will depend on a number of factors, including the number of confirmed cases in our University community, the location of these cases across campus, and the advice of NSW Health.



The University’s Pandemic Response teams are preparing for multiple scenarios. Depending on circumstances and Government advice, this could range from temporarily closing buildings for cleaning, to moving as many classes as possible to online delivery, or suspending all operations until further notice.



We appreciate that any decision to close part or all of our campus will have a multitude of implications for your studies and research. We are considering every measure to minimise any disruption as best as we can, whilst prioritising the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community in this daily-changing situation.



Should a temporary closure of our campus become necessary we will let you know via your University email address, along with information and resources to support any changing arrangements for your studies.



Over the next few weeks we will progressively move to delivering many units of study online, and you will be advised of these arrangements via the Canvas page for your unit. This is to help reduce the risk of the potential spread of the virus through face-to-face interaction, especially by reducing the number of students required to come to campus, and to facilitate greater social distancing.



Whilst for now, our campuses are open, new advice from the NSW Chief Health Officer is to try and avoid, where possible, using communal facilities where lots of people congregate, and can heighten the risk of community spread. This could include include sporting and gym facilities, busy communal spaces (such as food courts or study hubs), or non-essential clinic appointments.



Please be assured that we are in regular contact with health and government authorities to monitor the health risk to our student and staff community that would inform any decision regarding our campus.



International travel Given the increased health risk, we strongly advise staff and students not to book or commence any international travel until further notice. Staff and students already overseas are not required to return home but have been offered assistance if they would like to do so.



Students affected by travel restrictions For those students who are affected by travel restrictions, our remote learning options remain available to you. You may also choose to suspend or defer your studies and have until 31 March to do so.



I know there is an increasing sense of uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 on our community. It presents a huge interruption to so many aspects of our normal lives.



These are extraordinary times, and we must remain agile and flexible as we face each new challenge. I will as always, keep you informed as this situation evolves in the coming days and weeks.



Yours, Dear students,As you know the World Health Organisation has now declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. While there have been no confirmed cases on campus, today we have sought advice from the NSW Chief Health Officer and are taking further action to help contain the spread of the virus and protect the health of our staff and students, and the broader community.Given the increasing concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the community, particularly with winter flu season approaching, we are now asking staff to cancel or defer any event until advised otherwise. From Monday 16 March this will apply to all University events or events hosted on our campuses including student, academic and public events and conferences. It does not, however extend to our regular teaching and research activity at this stage.Unfortunately, this will also mean cancelling all graduation ceremonies from Monday 16 March. Students will be graduated in absentia and offered the opportunity to attend a ceremony later in the year. We will communicate with graduands regarding this today.If you are part of a student club or society, sporting club or other group who hosts events, we strongly recommend that you cancel or defer on-campus activities or gatherings for the time being.We anticipate it may not be possible to resume these events until the spring, likely in late August or early September. We will review this position at the start of Semester 2, and keep you informed.I know many of you have questions about the circumstances under which we would temporarily close part or all of our campuses. This decision will depend on a number of factors, including the number of confirmed cases in our University community, the location of these cases across campus, and the advice of NSW Health.The University’s Pandemic Response teams are preparing for multiple scenarios. Depending on circumstances and Government advice, this could range from temporarily closing buildings for cleaning, to moving as many classes as possible to online delivery, or suspending all operations until further notice.We appreciate that any decision to close part or all of our campus will have a multitude of implications for your studies and research. We are considering every measure to minimise any disruption as best as we can, whilst prioritising the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community in this daily-changing situation.Should a temporary closure of our campus become necessary we will let you know via your University email address, along with information and resources to support any changing arrangements for your studies.Over the next few weeks we will progressively move to delivering many units of study online, and you will be advised of these arrangements via the Canvas page for your unit. This is to help reduce the risk of the potential spread of the virus through face-to-face interaction, especially by reducing the number of students required to come to campus, and to facilitate greater social distancing.Whilst for now, our campuses are open, new advice from the NSW Chief Health Officer is to try and avoid, where possible, using communal facilities where lots of people congregate, and can heighten the risk of community spread. This could include include sporting and gym facilities, busy communal spaces (such as food courts or study hubs), or non-essential clinic appointments.Please be assured that we are in regular contact with health and government authorities to monitor the health risk to our student and staff community that would inform any decision regarding our campus.Given the increased health risk, we strongly advise staff and students not to book or commence any international travel until further notice. Staff and students already overseas are not required to return home but have been offered assistance if they would like to do so.For those students who are affected by travel restrictions, our remote learning options remain available to you. You may also choose to suspend or defer your studies and have until 31 March to do so. Please visit the website for continuing updates and information.I know there is an increasing sense of uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 on our community. It presents a huge interruption to so many aspects of our normal lives.These are extraordinary times, and we must remain agile and flexible as we face each new challenge. I will as always, keep you informed as this situation evolves in the coming days and weeks.Yours, Michael



Dr Michael Spence

Vice-Chancellor and Principal The University of Sydney