Start your day with a
The alarm goes off. You get dressed, take care of the family, have a quick cup of coffee or tea, and off you go to campus. Oops. Forgotten something? Yes, you have to answer the NWU’s pre-screening app questions.
That is, if you have already completed the Covid-19 training test on eFundi.
Go to eFundi, and log in with your staff number and password by clicking on Login in the top right-hand corner. You will see the link to the COVID-19 Training for people who need to enter the NWU in the “Message he eFundi landing page.
A precondition of answering the pre-screening app’s questions every day, is that you first have to score 100% in this test. After taking the test (repeatedly, if necessary) until you have full marks, this will be shown at the top of your pre-screening questionnaire, together with your name and university number.
Right, now that you have reached this first milestone, you can resume your daily journey with the app.
How to access the app
Developed by a team from IT, this online DIY app can be accessed on any electronic device.
For easy access, use a search engine (such as Google) to take you to the NWU landing page, where you have to click on DIY Services in the right-hand bottom corner of the page. Once you have logged into CAS with your university number and password, click on the Covid-19 Pre-Screening icon. This will first take you to a disclaimer page, and then to the daily questionnaire.
If you believe that a picture paints a thousand words, click here for an infographic demonstrating how to access the app on your cellphone.
As soon as you have answered the questions, the app sends you an email and an sms with either a red or a green token, which you have to show on arrival at the entrance gate to your campus.
What the tokens mean
Receiving a red token means that you are at risk of having contracted Covid-19. In this case, you may be redirected to the campus’s health care centre, or to another medical practitioner of your choice, but you will not be permitted to enter the NWU on your own.
If you receive a green token, it means the coast is clear. You will be allowed to proceed to a symptom-screening point at the entrance gate, where your temperature will be taken. Depending on your body temperature, and if you have obtained prior permission to return to work and had your staff member card activated for entrance, you will be allowed to proceed to your work place.
What about privacy of information?
By answering the app’s questions, you are conveying information that may be confidential and personal, but you can rest assured that the NWU values your right to privacy.
The university will respect and protect all information in accordance with all applicable legislation, including all Covid-19 specific regulations.
More about the app’s questions
After accessing the app, you will have to answer five questions about your health, and four about your recent contacts and travel history, and if you have been tested positive for Covid-19.
In the first part, you have to indicate whether you have experienced symptoms such a fever or chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, or any changes in your ability to taste or smell.
The second part is about your recent movements, asking if you have been in close contact with a Covid-19 case, and whether you have travelled from one province (or country) to another and if you have been tested positive for Covid-19.
Who created the app?
A group of IT experts, together with other NWU role players, burnt the midnight oil for about four weeks to create this app.
This was, however, not their only task. At the same time, they also created another app that the staff of the campus’s health care centres can use for record-keeping after they have examined staff members or students.
Click here to read more about this mammoth task, which was completed with great diligence and devotion.
Why the app is necessary
The app is yet another example of how the NWU puts its ethic of care into action. We value the lives of our students and staff, and want to keep them safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to our sincere concern about our people, we are also required by law to prevent the spread of, as well as the possible exposure to, Covid-19. To accomplish this, we are taking various steps:
- Provide students and staff, with the ability to "pre-screen" before visiting the NWU.
- Provide screening at the gates of the NWU.
- Ensure that persons on the premises of the NWU adhere to the wearing of masks, social distancing and good hygiene practices.