Thank you for your patience and flexibility this week as Curtin has responded to the government’s direction to close the campus and move teaching online. As always, your support and commitment to the University is very much appreciated.
As you may know, Premier McGowan announced last night that, if no new cases of COVID-19 community transmission are identified, the current restrictions on the Perth and Peel regions will be further relaxed from midnight tonight. You can view the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place in WA from 12.01am 1 May to 12.01am 8 May on the State Government website.
Changes for Curtin
For Curtin, the most significant change is that students and staff can return to campus, face-to-face teaching can resume, and research activities can continue (application for essential worker status is not required). This is subject to us all continuing to wear masks indoors, except when eating or drinking, although teaching staff will be able to remove their masks indoors when they are teaching.
The Curtin Library will reopen, as will computer labs, the Mushallah and other multi-faith venues, the Curtin Stadium and most food and retail outlets.
Other important points to note:
- Curtin will continue to use the two square metre rule as a guide for determining how many people it can safely have in its venues. This was in place prior to the snap lockdown.
- Physical distancing still needs to be observed – please keep an appropriate distance from others wherever possible, including in teaching and learning spaces, when queuing at food outlets, or moving around our campuses.
- You should continue to scan in or sign the contact register at all campus venues where the SafeWA QR code is displayed – it’s important that we don’t become complacent about this, as it’s a vital tool for quickly containing potential COVID outbreaks in the community.
- Don’t come onto campus if you are unwell or waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test. Any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 must be reported to Curtin’s Safer Community Team on 9266 4444.
- Continue to observe good personal hygiene measures, such as washing your hands and covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
Student placements and fieldwork
We will be working with student placement providers to agree an approach to placements that have been disrupted by the recent restrictions. Students who are unsure about their placement are encouraged to contact their placement coordinator to clarify their personal situation.
Fieldwork and Curtin Volunteer! activities will also be able to resume. Students are reminded that they still need to wear their mask and observe physical distancing when leaving the Perth and Peel regions while the current restrictions are still in place.
I look very forward to seeing you back on campus next week.
Professor Harlene Hayne
Vice-Chancellor
