COVID-19 advice

The health and safety of our staff and students will always be our highest priority. Our plans go over and above mandated COVID-19 safety requirements but everyone has an important role to play in keeping the community safe. The safety measures we've put in place only work if everyone takes personal responsibility and plays their part. 

Some of the most important things you can do to keep the community safe include: 

• Wearing a mask indoors
• Keeping your vaccinations up to date 
• Staying home and getting tested if you're unwell 
• Following any isolation requirements 
• Appropriately reporting your result if you test positive to COVID-19 by:
  1. Registering your positive result with ACT Health using this online form, or with the state/territory health authority where you are located;
  2. Alerting the University through this online form and;
  3. Informing your supervisor or course convenor.
• Washing and sanitising your hands frequently  
• Maintain physical distance between yourself and others where possible 
• Wiping down surfaces after use. 

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• Helpful links
• Wearing a mask on campus
• Vaccination
• Notification of positive cases
• Household contact of a positive case
• Improving ventilation
• Cleaning and sanitisation

Helpful links

Looking for...?

ANU COVID-safe Guidelines

COVID-safe plan for teaching activities

Support for learning and teaching contingencies

Frequently asked questions about teaching in 2022

Information about requesting remote adjustments 

Information about applying for an Education Access Plan as a result of 'long COVID' impacting your studies

Information about returning to work on campus

COVID-19 posters to print and display in your local area

Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 absences, flexibility and leave arrangements

University related travel guidance

Events and functions on campus

Information about arriving at ANU from overseas

Information about ACT Health quarantine in ANU apartments

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Wearing a mask on campus

Wearing a mask is a simple and effective way to protect ourselves and others. While the ACT has relaxed mandatory mask restrictions, ANU will continue to require that masks be worn indoors for the foreseeable future. This includes in all residential halls on campus except when in your private room. We planned our semester one on campus with certain conditions in place, including mask wearing, so it's important that these remain in place for the time being.

Masks are required on campus under the same settings we started the semester with. This is consistent with our COVID-safe Guidelines. If you are in a place where a mask was required at the start of week one, it is still required now.

Exceptions

• Where an individual holds a medical exemption
• You are alone in a work space or you are sitting or standing at your desk that is 1.5 metres away from any other person
• When teaching; if required to ensure good communication and you are comfortable doing so. You must remain at the front of the class at least 1.5 metres away from others
• To communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing where visibility of the mouth is essential for communication
• When consuming food, drink or medicine
• When undertaking vigorous exercise
• In an emergency

As soon as one of the above conditions is no longer met you must wear a face mask.

The mask must fit securely around your face and cover your nose and mouth. A scarf, bandana or face shield is not a face mask.

Why is ANU continuing to require masks inside?

I am unable to wear a face mask and have a medical exemption. What do I do?

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Vaccination

Vaccination remains the best way to protect ourselves and our community from COVID-19. Vaccinations rates in Australia are very high and Canberra is the most vaccinated city in the world. In addition, all international arrivals to Australia are required to provide proof of full vaccination with a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved or recognised vaccine.

Remember that there are many ways to keep COVID safe and vaccination is only one element. Social distancing and density limits, frequent hand washing and staying home if you're unwell are all important for staying COVID safe. More information is available in the COVID Safe Guidelines.

Current position

The University strongly encourages staff and students to get vaccinated, including receiving a booster dose when eligible. Vaccination is required in some University settings such as in our residences and in other settings, including where required by the ACT Government.

Vaccination consultation

The University undertook a consultation process to help consider our position on vaccination. This included consulting with staff, students, emeritus, honorary and visiting staff, health and safety representatives, the NTEU, and consultation at the local level in teams, and between employees and their supervisors.

Community Survey

A survey was run to assist the University with forward planning for the safe return of staff and students to campus and the commencement of semester one 2022  The survey was open for staff, students and emeritus, honorary and visiting staff to complete from Tuesday 25 January 2022 to Monday 31 January 2022 inclusive.  The survey was conducted anonymously and results cannot be tied to individual respondents.

Participation

A total of 6,858 staff and students completed the survey. This represents 1,493 academic staff (including casuals), 1,443 professional staff (including casuals), 510 emeritus professors/fellows, honorary appointees and visitors, 2,903 students and an additional 508 people who responded as 'other/prefer not to say'.

Results

The survey results show that a large majority of our community would feel safer if others on campus are vaccinated. More than 80 per cent of respondents answered that they strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, 'I will feel more comfortable coming to work/campus if others are vaccinated'.

You can read the full survey results here.

These results are part of an ongoing discussion with our community. The current position on vaccination, that the University strongly encourages staff and students to get vaccinated, including receiving a booster dose when eligible, remains unchanged. We will continue the consultation process to further refine the University's position on vaccination.

Where to get vaccinated

Staff and students can book an appointment to receive a booster dose on campus at the ANU Medical Clinic and University Pharmacy. You can also make a booking through your local pharmacy or doctor or the ACT Government vaccination clinic.

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Notification of positive cases

It's important that you let us know if you test positive for COVID-19. Current ACT Government rules require individuals to let people they have spent time with in the previous two days know if they test positive. By also notifying the University, we can help determine the risk of exposure to your colleagues and students in line with ACT Health Guidelines and, where appropriate, pass this information on to colleagues and students so they can take the necessary steps.

If you test positive to COVID-19, please:

1. Register your positive result with ACT Health using this online form, or with the state/territory health authority where you are located;
2. Alert the University through this online form and;
3. Inform your supervisor or course convenor.

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Household contact of a positive case

ACT Health have made changes to quarantine requirements for household contacts.

The University is currently assessing these changes and what they mean for our campus. At the moment, the University's current COVID-safe guidelines will remain in place and ANU campus settings remain the same, which include wearing of masks indoors and staying home if you're unwell. We will consult with students, staff and other key stakeholders across our community before making any potential changes to our guidelines and inform our community of any changes if and when they are implemented.

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Improving ventilation

Update on progress - Tuesday 15 February

The University has been working hard over the past several weeks to implement changes to ventilation in all buildings across campus. We have made significant progress in phase one - library and teaching buildings, with 100 percent of CO₂ ,100 percent of filtration and 95 percent of purge upgrades now completed.

Key changes made:

• 49 teaching and library buildings have a purge upgrade implemented
• 19 teaching and library buildings have had CO₂ monitoring upgraded
• 18 teaching and library buildings have had filter upgrades

With this initial phase nearing completion, attention has been turned to all other buildings.  Some buildings will take significantly longer to implement changes to due to large scale infrastructure and mechanical requirements.

Improved ventilation is just one of a suite of measures to improve our environment. Your local area Risk Assessment should consider and implement all applicable and currently available measures that are reasonably practicable as detailed in the University COVID-safe Guidelines and the WHSMS Risk Assessment.

There are four strategies to improving ventilation to further mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission in addition to mandated steps already in place.

1. Reduce CO₂ set points - fresh air content flushed into the building to reduce CO₂ levels in the space - this process is handled automatically via the buildings control system. CO₂ set points have been revised to 650ppm (they are typically 850-1000ppm). 
2. Increase outside air rates - outside air rates have been increased when ambient air temperatures permit. This process is handled automatically via the buildings control system.
3. Pre and post occupancy purging - fresh air content is flushed into the building before and after use each day to purge the space. This process is handled automatically via the buildings control system.
4. Upgrading filters - this will occur in some high occupancy spaces with suitable air conditioning systems and will improve filtration efficiency by up to 300% (for 3-10 µm particles)

Due to the diversity of buildings on campus, our aim is to implement at least of the above strategies in each building. Where this is not possible, we will look at temporary changes.

It's important to remember that our buildings have all been assessed and deemed safe in their current state, without any enhancements, and meet all current requirements.

You can read more about these strategies and our work to improve ventilation here.

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Cleaning and sanitisation

Buildings will be professionally cleaned daily during business hours. Everyone has an important role to play in keeping our campus safe - staff will continue to have access to disinfectant sprays for use in keeping desk spaces and common areas regularly wiped down. Cleaning in response to COVID cases on campus will be targeted to those areas that are assessed as representing a higher risk of spread. 

Hand sanitiser will continue to be available in all foyers and common areas to help maintain good hand hygiene.  

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