Vaccination required to attend The University of Melbourne campuses in person

Vaccination required to attend campuses of The University of Melbourne in person

COVID‑19 vaccinations:

To attend all University of Melbourne campuses in person, you must be fully vaccinated

On Monday, 27th September 2021, the ViceChancellor of The University of Melbourne, Professor Duncan Maskell, announced that vaccinations for COVID-19 are required for any person attending its campuses in person. This decision has been made based on public health advice and to be aligned to the Victorian Government’s roadmap – see https://www.premier. vic.gov.au/victorias-roadmap-delivering-nationalplan - which stated (at the time of publication) that on-site learning for adult education can recommence for people who are fully vaccinated from the 5th of November 2021. This includes fully vaccinated workers throughout the higher education sector who will be permitted to attend their place of work. From this date, all students, staff, contractors and visitors attending campuses of The University of Melbourne will thus be required to be fully vaccinated. Exemptions will apply for those with a valid reason for being unable to be vaccinated, including for example, medical reasons or not yet being eligible to be vaccinated in Victoria. The University of Melbourne has indicated that they will endeavour to support individuals with a valid exemption to complete safely their study or undertake their work and those who choose not to vaccinate for other reasons. In meeting its responsibility to provide a safe environment that enables everyone to study, work and interact, the University has identified the responsibility to minimise the risk of transmission and exposure to COVID-19 on its campuses, and to place the utmost importance on the health, safety and wellbeing of its own and the broader community. A fully vaccinated student body and workforce will reduce transmission rates, minimise the severity of any breakthrough infections and reduce the likelihood of severe disease requiring hospitalisation. It will also assist in reducing disruption to on-campus activities from future exposures. Many parts of The University of Melbourne require on-site activities. Face-to-face learning, engagement and collaboration are valued highly by students and staff, and are indispensable to a rich academic, work and life experience; and many have indicated how much they are looking forward to

Retrieved 27th September 2021 from https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/australia-sets-out-plans-covidvaccination-certificates/

returning to campus when government restrictions allow. Their expectations are for the University to continue to follow the latest health advice and put in place appropriate measures for their protection. The design of the Melbourne curriculum, and the nature and size of The University of Melbourne’s campuses means that there are frequent crossovers of students, staff and other campus users and partners as they move between the various work, learning, recreational, social and retail settings across campuses and precincts. The University acknowledges also that it has a concentration of the age groups known to be at higher likelihood of transmitting the disease. There are increasing requirements for people to be vaccinated to access services across a range of sectors and to be able to participate in community activities. The University of Melbourne wants its people to be prepared so they can participate in all the experiences available to fully vaccinated individuals, including onsite activities at their campuses and transitions to their careers. They also note this as a shared challenge for many sectors, not just higher education, and more broadly the Victorian Government. In addition to its compliance with Victoria’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan, the University will comply with all public heath directions and legislated dates, such as those set out in the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Directions – see https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/ documents/202109/covid-19-mandatoryvaccination-directions-no-3.pdf. It will also learn from the Victorian Government’s Vaccinated Economy Trials – see https://www.premier.vic.gov. au/regions-show-way-vaccinated-economy-trials. Additional health and safety measures will also continue, such as improved ventilation where possible, the wearing of masks, contact tracing enablement through QR code entry, physical distancing, sanitiser stations, density limits and additional cleaning. The University’s COVIDSafe plans are being reviewed reiteratively to ensure currency and timeliness in operational changes. To find out more, go to the University’s dedicated website - https://www.unimelb.edu.au/coronavirus - and for those with vaccination hesitancy, try this site for straightforward answers to concerns raised by others: https://www.vaxfacts.org.au/.