Johannesburg - Students and higher education sector staffers will be required to register for HealthCheck - a screening platform that will keep track of various health data required for entry into campuses.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said the platform would be used by over 2 million people, students and staff, who will enter the country’s campuses as various students and staffers return to work under level 3 of the national lockdown. The platform can be used through USSD, WhatsApp or online.
It is based on the health information provided by the applicant and will be used as a measure of whether a person can enter the campus for 24 hours.
“HealthCheck is secured to use by students and staff entering our campuses daily to self-check their body temperature and will link such data to the tracking system of the Department of Health.
"Based on the answers entered on the platform, the person receives a message with the low/moderate/high-level risk reading. If the risk is low, the individual will receive clearance valid for 24 hours,” the minister said.
“The tool allows for early detection, mapping and management of Covid-19 cases within higher education institutions and feeds into the national Department of Health tracking and tracing system.”
Nzimande said universities and TVET colleges had been provided with guidelines on how to keep campuses clean and safe as students return to campus gradually.
“Higher Health has been walking the Covid-19 awareness, prevention and care journey with universities and TVET colleges for several months. The focus now has shifted to shining the Higher Health spotlight on private higher education institutions and community education and training colleges. We want to ensure all students and campus staff have the tools and information necessary to deal with coronavirus,” Nzimande said.