By A Correspondent- The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has dismissed as fake a message circulating on social media advising students and lecturers that the university shall be on recess from Friday the 20th of March to the 14th of April.

In a statement, UZ Acting Director for Information and Public Relations Mrs Ndai. I. Nyamakura urged stakeholders to ignore the message. She said:

We are advising all University of Zimbabwe Students, Staff, Partners and the general public, that the currently circulating messages on social media on COVID-19 (Coronavirus), purportedly written by (1) the SRC Secretary-General and (2) the Registrar, Dr N.A. Mutongoreni, are falsehood. They should, therefore, be ignored as with all fake news.

The University has, to date, not recorded any cases and measures have been put in place for surveillance in line with national efforts.

One of the messages that circulated widely on social media reads:

UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

NOTICE TO ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF

The University of Zimbabwe wishes to inform all Uz students and staff that the university shall be on recess from Friday the 20th of March to the 14th of April, as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID19). This comes after one student and a staff member who had flue like symptoms tested positive to coronavirus. The two have since been quarantined and everyone they came across on campus.

Please note that:

1. Lectures will end at 1700 hours on Thursday the 19th of March and resume on the 14th of April 2020.
2. All students in university accommodation are expected to have checked out of their residence by 1000 hours on Friday, the 20th of March 2020.
3. Resident students are expected back on campus on Monday, the 13th of April 2020, starting at 1400 hours.
4. However, all staff members are still expected to report for duty.

Any inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted.