Since students have gradually returned to campus, many have come back to a radically different ANU experience. On the 7th September ANU reinstated events, venue hire and functions at the Acton campus, but all events are required to strictly comply with the new Functions on Campus Protocol.

The Protocol has been drafted in tandem with the University and ACT Government COVID-19 guidelines. This includes using the ‘stop-light’ classification system, where the alert level of COVID-19 community transmission at the ANU is currently classified as LOW. The LOW alert level means that normal COVID-19 restrictions are required on campus, such as social distancing of 1.5m, a capacity limit of 100 people, and cleaning and disinfection of common spaces.

These restrictions will be required at any time ANU is ranked at the NORMAL and LOW Alert levels. If MEDIUM Alert Level is activated, external visitors to campus will be limited, and a HIGH or EXTREME Alert Level means all public events and functions must be cancelled.

All events on campus must be registered through a Functions on Campus eForm, and must have COVID-19 Risk Assessment Plan, mandatory pre-event registration, and a nominated protocol officer who has completed the Australian Government’s COVID-19 infection control training course. On top of this, the ANU reserves the right to cancel any functions at short notice if an outbreak or identified case occurs on campus or in a specified venue, and all expenses incurred due to cancellation are the responsibility of the organisers.

Functions and events where risk cannot be appropriately mitigated are very unlikely to be approved. In light of this, many campus-run events traditionally held in-person have transitioned into being held online. Most events traditionally held on-campus have been held at external venues. Any updates to restrictions will be posted and uploaded to the COVID-19 safety advice page here.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.