Safety Stewards

Staying safe on campus

I hope you are all well and enjoying the preparations for the start of Semester.

Over the past few months, we have been busy making changes to the campus, facilities and services, getting ready for your safe return to campus.

The information below is most relevant if you are able to return to study on campus at some point during the semester. 

If you have any concerns during the semester or would like more information, please contact Student Services on 1800 512 391 or visit the FAQ website.

On campus safety measures

As you are aware, we are not through the COVID-19 pandemic yet and we all need to continue to be vigilant. Therefore, if you are able to join us on campus, there are a few extra safety measures being put in place.  I would like to ask for your cooperation in sharing the responsibility and doing your bit to prevent the spread of the virus and keep our community as safe as possible.

You will be aware of the health guidelines to assist in keeping free from COVID-19 and reducing any transmission involve washing hands, not touching your face and maintaining physical distancing.  To help with these messages, we ask you do the following:

  1. Don’t come to campus if you are feeling unwell, stay at home. Contact UQ Health Care or your medical practitioner
  2. Testing will be available on campus from 4 August, contact UQ Health Care, St Lucia on 3365 6210 to make an appointment
  3. Wash your hands frequently, or use hand sanitiser where handwashing facilities are not available
    • We have placed over 600 additional hand sanitizer stations throughout our campuses for your convenience
    • Many teaching spaces have hygiene stations installed with hand sanitiser and wipes are available to clean your work area before and after class
  4. Find an alternative way to greet your peers and teachers that does not involve physical touch.
    • If you would like some ideas and suggestions on how to do this, there are lots of alternatives with tips online
  5. Where possible, maintain your physical distance from those people who you do not share a household with
    • We have placed reminders across campus to help you and employed over 100 Safety Stewards to answer questions and remind our community to maintain physical distancing where possible.
    • Before your class, you will be asked to remain outside the building while the class before you safely exits the space. This will minimise the number of people passing through these spaces at the same time.
    • There is an outdoor information point in the Great Court at St Lucia where you can ask a question and most of our inquiry points can be accessed online.  Our Student Services Team continue to be available 7 days per week for general help or guidance.

Contact Tracing & QR Codes

In the event that we have a confirmed case of COVID-19 on one of our campuses, we want to assist Queensland Public Health with contact tracing in the fastest way possible to reduce the transmission of the virus. In order to do this, you will see some changes to our teaching and learning environments.

If you attend classes, labs, practicums or other teaching related activity on campus, you will find a QR Code in the room which you are encouraged to scan on entry or at some point during your class. You will then be directed to our UQ webpage where you will be asked to register your student number.

If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your class, your name and contact information gathered through these QR codes, will be provided to the Government Public Health Unit to enable them to contact you as part of the Contact Tracing initiatives to contain any spread. This information will only be used for contact tracing purposes and to assist with managing UQ’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be deleted after the required time has elapsed (maximum 56 days).  For further information on how the University manages personal information, please refer to our Privacy Management Policy.

Where to get help

I look forward to welcoming our new and returning students in the coming week, in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Student Services on student.services@uq.edu.au.I hope you are all well and enjoying the preparations for the start of Semester 2 next week.

Over the past few months, we have been busy making changes to the campus, facilities and services, getting ready for your safe return to campus. The information below is most relevant if you are able to return to study on campus at some point in Semester 2. 

Helpful links and contacts

If you have any concerns or would like more information, please contact Student Services on 1800 512 391 or visit the FAQ website.

What are Safety Stewards?

The UQ Safety Stewards are here to answer your questions, provide advice and ensure your on-campus experience is warm, courteous, safe and physically distanced. Safety Stewards interact with relevant networks across campus, including Student Services, Security, Properties & Facilities, and event staff at each of the following locations:

  • Libraries
  • Bus Stops
  • Cafés and Refectories
  • Lecture theatres
  • and at all the on-campus events!

The University of Queensland is taking the necessary steps in response to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements. The Stewards are here to help, but we will all need to do our bit to be respectful and work together to keep each other safe.