THE University of Newcastle will extend its study from home arrangements to August 28, in line with the lengthening of Greater Sydney's lockdown restrictions.
Professor Alex Zelinsky wrote to staff on Monday this week to tell them the arrangements would be in place until August 13, but told them in a Wednesday email this had been updated to August 28.
Al; courses scheduled for face-to-face learning will continue to be offered online, according to class timetables that remain unchanged.
"My thoughts are with our staff and students implicated in the lockdown restrictions for Greater Sydney," Professor Zelinsky wrote on Wednesday.
"We know this is a difficult time to navigate and appreciate your efforts and resilience.
"The university is here to support you, and we remind you that there are lots of ways to seek support from each other, your supervisors and team leaders, from our health and wellbeing teams, and of course via our Employee Assistance Program.
"The COVID-19 sharepoint hub also provides resources and advice for working safely from home, along with the link to the online ad hoc working from home form to extend any working from home arrangements."
UON will also extend its campus arrangements until August 28.
The Sydney campus remains closed, the Central Coast campuses are open only for essential operations, and the Callaghan and city campuses are open with minimal staff.
Professor Zelinsky also used his email to remind staff about face mask rules and to encourage them to get vaccinated during the work time in negotiation with their supervisors, saying "vaccinations are a key tool in preventing COVID-19 infections in the community, and helping us emerge from the lockdown".
Professor Zelinsky had told staff on July 13 that the first two weeks of semester - from July 19 to 30 - would be delivered through study-from-home mode.
