As universities reopen, health protocols become paramount

As universities around the African continent start to reopen, health protocols and decontamination strategies have become major issues, particularly in those institutions that were used to isolate patients with COVID-19 and quarantine returnees from foreign countries.

Kenya’s Kenyatta University, Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University, Zimbabwe’s Lupane State University and the University of Zimbabwe, among others in that country, are some of the African universities that have been used over the past months to isolate and quarantine citizens.

The use of these educational facilities has elicited questions over how the premises can be safely used by students and staff when learning resumes, in view of the infectious nature of the disease. Fears have also emerged over how these institutions will deal with the possible stigma attached to having housed infected people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a cautious resumption of the use of the facilities, including hostels, warning that precautionary guidelines including decontamination should be strictly observed.

Legitimate concerns

“The issue of how these building can return to safe use by universities is a legitimate concern, however, decontamination of surfaces by use of chlorine solution ensures the surfaces are decontaminated and are safe for use,” said Dr Mary Stephen, WHO-Africa technical officer.

She said the coronavirus did not last for long on surfaces, and besides chlorine could be killed with soap and water.

“Besides spraying surfaces with chlorine solution to make facilities safe to use, preventive measures including wearing face masks and regular hand-washing should be observed,” she advised.

Maintaining social distancing between individuals, limiting the numbers of people in one place, including classrooms and laboratories, also need to be strictly observed. This may necessitate smaller classes and staggering others to control numbers. It may also involve hiring extra tutors which would come at a cost, said Stephen.

All these measures are part and parcel of readjusting to the “new normal”.

Working with health authorities

Stephen told University World News that the reopening of universities and other learning institutions should be done in consultation with health authorities in respective countries, with a risk assessment being done before the resumption happens.

It was also important for authorities to conduct an “epidemiological assessment” based on the location of an institution, Stephen said.

Safe resumption of learning may also call for basic training of teaching and other staff to enable them to detect those showing symptoms, while identifying the vulnerable – both staff and students – in an institution, and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Only when institutions are able to implement and observe the correct measures that may include screening everybody at all entrances, coupled with constant sanitisation, should they consider resuming business, the expert said.

“Overall, a risk and benefit analysis should be done, and institutions needed to keep asking themselves whether they really need to reopen,” she said.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) has largely endorsed the approach recommended by the world health body, advising institutions to involve health authorities.

Engaging the health authorities would determine whether or not facilities used for quarantine purposes could again be used safely, the AAU has said.

The AAU’s opinion is that the health authorities of the various countries should hand over such facilities back to higher education institutions only when they have fully followed the necessary health protocols, such as properly disinfecting them, advised AAU Communications Officer Felicia Kuagbedzi.

Prioritising student and staff health

“Indeed, the health of students, lecturers, administrators and all the various stakeholders on the campuses of higher education institutions should be prioritised and should be paramount in taking decisions as to whether schools should reopen or not. If proper measures to limit the spread of the virus are not yet instituted, then continuation of learning and research activities via e-platforms is advised,” she added.

According to the AAU, where facilities were used as quarantine centres universities may not be in the position to detect whether those spaces are entirely safe for use, and thus the need to involve appropriate experts.

“The best thing to do is to involve the appropriate health authorities in the country who would certify and clear those facilities for safe use. Working jointly with the health authorities will also make them accountable for the safety of all those who will use such amenities,” the official noted.

Kuagbedzi said the AAU has been working closely with the higher education fraternity since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, taking a number of steps to help institutions to manage the impacts of the pandemic.

AAU support

These included mapping out universities’ urgent needs on their preparedness to adjust to the COVID-19 safety measures introduced by governments. The AAU also partnered with diverse allies to assist universities to move their classes online quickly.

She dismissed the notion that universities should seek compensation from governments for offering their facilities to help in fighting the pandemic; instead suggesting states be asked to increase funding for the sector in general.

“In Africa the largest financier of universities are the governments. Therefore, we do not subscribe to universities demanding compensation, but we continue to appreciate the support provided by governments to universities and appeal to them to continue to do more to meet the needs of the higher education sector,” she said.

Universities in the continent have stood up to be counted during the current crisis, initiating and taking part in national and international research initiatives to understand the killer virus. They have also helped to produce knowledge on safety measures, manufactured sanitisers and hand-washing equipment, and invented affordable protective clothing for health workers, besides health equipment and machines to manage the disease.