COVID-19 Action Plan - Australian Lutheran College
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COVID-19 Action Plan
Australian Lutheran College Inc
Australian Lutheran College (ALC) seeks to bear faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
our new life through it. Our witness includes the care of people and creation as we study sacred
theology and act in responsible and caring ways toward all people. ALC therefore seeks to promote
learning and employment health and well-being for its students, staff, families and other guests
within a safe and supportive environment. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens this. ALC will therefore
implement practices to mitigate this threat by promoting:
• Community identity and practices in Jesus Christ that are centred by regular community
worship, and that are actively practised in clear Gospel witness and caring service for people
• Community safety and well-being that is informed and guided by local, national and
international health experts and authorities, as a shared community responsibility, and
• Learning and employment continuity in the unstable COVID-19 pandemic context through
adaptive and agile educational and employment practices.
ALC is a community of learners. Safety and well-being are the responsibility of all people who
associate with the College. This is irrespective of external and jurisdictional boundaries. The College
expects that people not only consider and attend to their own well-being, but also the well-being of
all persons who associate with the College in any way. To that end, all ALC community members are
expected to consider how their own decisions and actions might affect, put at risk or benefit other
members of the broad ALC community, together with the wider public.
In addition to its Learning and Research services, and to identify the broad ALC community, the
College also provides:
• Business, corporate and maintenance services
• Theological advisory services to external partners in the Lutheran Church of Australia and
New Zealand, together with the Church’s ecumenical partners
• Library services, and
• Residential accommodation services.
ALC encourages everyone to take the broad scope of ALC activities into account with a view to the
safety and well-being of all people when planning and undertaking any action. This is with
particular attention to any person who might be at particular risk during this COVID-19 pandemic
(e.g. certain age and immuno-compromised groups). Due to the constantly evolving medical
knowledge of the effects of the virus, ‘at risk’ persons may not always be immediately identifiable
within the community.
ALC has completed and lodged a revised COVID-Safe Plan with the Government of South Australia.
While specific to South Australia, this plan provides a framework for the general implementation of
global values and procedures as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those values and procedures
are primarily focussed on limiting the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing and proper hygiene
practices. Both sets of practices are primarily a personal responsibility. ALC is concerned that such
personal practices are consistently and properly practised within its community and it will act,
wherever possible, to ensure this.
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Australian Lutheran CollegeSocial distancing values and procedures will not only inform and regulate human assembly and
movement within any ALC environment, but must also inform procedures concerning all staff,
student and guest travel.
Hygiene practices not only apply to personal cleanliness, such as handwashing with soap, but also to
the regular cleaning of all learning and workspaces. This will be primarily completed by those who
use a space.
This action plan is currently based upon the College’s COVID-Safe Plan. It seeks to apply the
obligations and recommendations contained within that plan to ALC’s various operational and
communal contexts. The plan is located within the College’s document management system, and is
available via the College’s website.
While federal and state emergency and health regulations will be the final authority in all decision
making concerning ALC’s response to COVID-19, the College will also seek to comply, wherever
possible, with the policies and expectations of the Lutheran Church of Australia, the University of
Divinity and the Adelaide College of Divinity as some of the College’s key cultural and educational
partners. There may be times when those expectations are in conflict. In such cases the College will
seek to implement the higher expectation when it is judged reasonable to do so.
This action plan will be reviewed when there is any change to federal or state government
regulations and directions, and when any additional need for modification is identified. This plan
needs to be agile due to the unstable nature of the pandemic context.
In all cases this plan is superseded by any federal or state government emergency directions. Any
person who is associated with ALC in any way is expected to take personal responsibility for being
aware and fully appraised of those directions as part of general community expectations and
responsibilities.
COVID-SAFE PLAN: Obligations
ALC’s COVID-Safe Plan relates to spaces where people gather as part of the College’s operation. ALC
is permitted a maximum number of persons on its premises as specified in the COVID-Safe Plan. This
excludes Hebart Hall staff offices, Graebner Hall, Hamann Hall residential, ALC student centre, all
outside areas, and residential premises adjacent to Archer Street and Wellington Square, North
Adelaide. This also excludes any ALC teaching or administrative site such as the Australian Catholic
University, Brisbane. In such cases the College will comply with the COVID-SAFE plans of external,
third party providers of learning facilities. Maximum numbers have been calculated for classroom
and other assembly spaces. Those maximum numbers are posted at the entry to each room.
Social distancing principles are mandated for all spaces directly or indirectly associated with ALC
operations. Those principles state the maximum number of people per room or outdoor area and
must not be exceeded. Further to this, people who do not cohabit must maintain a distance of 1.5
metres from each other at all times.
ALC will keep an attendance record of people who attend all indoor, College activities through the
use of either a state provided QR code or attendance sheets. Attendance sheets will be collected
each day, scanned and stored. They will be made available to authorised officers upon request for
the purpose of contact tracing.
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Australian Lutheran CollegeCOVID-SAFE PLAN: Recommendations
Physical distancing
When people gather as part of any ALC activity they must seek to
maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres from each other. This does
not include people who normally live together. This will, however,
inform the distribution of seating in all spaces for assembly.
The distribution of seating and other furnishings will also inform the
maximum numbers of people in any enclosed space.
Further, do not assemble in the Hebart Hall courtyard as this forms
a significant bottleneck at many points for people who move into
and out of the building. If there is a need to gather, please move to
one of the open, lawned areas adjacent to Hebart Hall.
Hygiene
It is expected that any person who accesses any ALC space will
attend to regular hand washing with soap or a hand sanitiser. Hand
sanitiser is provided at all entrance points into Hebart Hall and in
other assembly areas.
It is expected that each class will wipe down tables and chairs at the
conclusion of the class.
Failure to comply with the hygiene requirements may result in risk
to users and the College having to call in additional professional
cleaning services at significant expense.
Response planning
Staff and students must not attend any ALC site (personal residences
excluded) and stay at home if they are unwell. If symptoms develop while on an ALC site, that staff
member or student must advise the ALC Principal by email principal@alc.edu.au or telephone/SMS
0428 034 146 and immediately return directly to their home. COVID-19 compatible symptoms
include:
• fever
• coughing
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
In all cases, staff members and students must seek advice from their normal health provider, or SA
Health, concerning any further action.
All staff and students are expected to comply, to the fullest extent, with any medical direction or
advice that they are given. The ALC Principal reserves the right to seek confirmation of medical
advice and direction before allowing any member of the ALC community to return to the campus.
This may include confirmation of COVID-19 test results.
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Australian Lutheran CollegeThe ALC Adelaide campus may be closed when staff, students or external guests have undergone
COVID-19 testing. This is because of the close, communal nature of the ALC Adelaide site. The
decision to close the campus will be informed by reported community COVID-19 transmission in
Adelaide. The campus will be reopened when negative test results are returned. Should a positive
COVID-19 test result be returned the campus will remain closed (see below.) Students and staff will
be informed of these decisions via SMS and email. When possible, this will be by 4.30 pm as
required. All members of the ALC community are encouraged to ‘check in’ with each other to ensure
that messages are received and understood.
In order to safeguard the well-being of the ALC community, staff and students travelling interstate
are to advise the Principal’s Office of their travel plans prior to leaving South Australia. This includes
dates of travel, state and area of visitation. Please note that it is a requirement of ALC that anyone
travelling to regions where COVID-19 infection is detected, enters a period of mandated self-
isolation prior to returning to any ALC site. They may further be required to undergo testing for
COVID-19. The ALC Principal reserves the right to exclude any person from returning to the ALC
campus until he is confident that all quarantining and precautionary steps have been observed.
This may include a requirement for COVID-19 testing.
Should a COVID-19 infection be detected and reported by any member of the ALC community, the
Principal will:
• Seek satisfaction that the person concerned is safe, has sought professional medical advice
and is properly isolated from the ALC community;
• Ensure that the relevant state health authority is notified;
• Advise all members of the ALC community by email and SMS of the detection. This will allow
members to assess their own exposure and likely risk;
• Advise all significant College partners of the detection. This will include the Lutheran Church
of Australia and New Zealand, the University of Divinity and the Adelaide College of Divinity;
• If appropriate, close the ALC site that is involved and initiate deep cleaning of that site;
• Publish a notice on the ALC website and social media;
• Manage all media enquiries. No other person is to respond to any external enquiry (media
or other) on ALC’s behalf unless specifically authorised by the Principal to do so.
COVID-19 Campus Marshals
As of 21 August 2020, a COVID Marshal must supervise all ALC public worship activities in South
Australia. COVID Marshals are people who are assigned to assist in the management of identified
worship activities to apply the COVID-19 directions and restrictions.
COVID Marshals are required to complete the prescribed SA Health COVID Marshal Training.
A register of all trained COVID Marshals will be held by the Principal’s Office.
Refer to https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/recovery/covid-marshals
ALC continues to seek to support learning success
In line with University of Divinity policy, flexible delivery of ALC classes will continue, supported
through a mixture of learning modalities, including both on-campus and online options. Students will
receive advice prior to the commencement of a semester as to the mode of delivery being offered
by individual lecturers.
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Australian Lutheran CollegeAll scheduled classes have the capacity to be livestreamed. In the event of personal reasons
preventing enrolled students to attend classes on campus (including people in at risk, immune-
compromised categories) they are asked to inform the Dean, Dr Stephen Haar, as soon as possible,
so all arrangements can be made to participate via livestream.
Where students are absent from class due to illness, provision will be made for students to either
access classes remotely or receive additional one-on-one support from lecturers.
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