Southern Cross Uni shuts down two campuses due to coronavirus
Southern Cross University temporarily closed two campuses, after 45 people came in contact with infected staff member.
Southern Cross University is urgently contacting 45 people who came in contact with a staff member who tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, which led to the shutdown today of two of its three main campuses.
The university closed its Gold Coast and Lismore campuses on Wednesday and will determine later in the day if they will reopen on Thursday.
A university spokesman said that 16 people, out of the 45, had been in more frequent contact with the man who is now diagnosed with the virus.
He is based in the Philippines, but visited the two campuses for a series of workshops from March 2-6, returning to the Philippines on March 7.
The university heard late on Tuesday that he had returned a positive test for COVID-19.
The spokesman said the university is urgently contacting those known to have been in contact with the infected staff member, with a priority on those who had closer contact. “Some may have to self-isolate,” he said.
The staff member is not an academic, so was not in regular contact with students in class.
The spokesman said the university had not been required by health authorities to close the campuses, but vice-chancellor Adam Shoemaker had decided to do so as a precaution. The university is working closely with health authorities in both NSW and Queensland, he said.
The spokesman said the university had established a coronavirus taskforce last month, and has responded to the staff member’s positive COVID-19 test according to scenarios which had been mapped out.
Southern Cross University vice president (Operations) Allan Morris said both campuses would be cleaned during the closure.
“Our priority at all times is the wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors so we apologise for this short disruption but it is the right thing to do,” Mr Morris said.
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