University of Sydney planning to evict students to make way for COVID-19 quarantine accommodation

Cassandra Lau

University students will be forcibly evicted from their accommodation with 48-hours notice to make way for international students needing quarantine from China once the travel ban lifts.

Tenants of a University of Sydney-run accommodation building, will be temporarily evicted to make room for the quarantine of returning international students once the Australian Government lifts its COVID-19 linked travel ban. 

On Monday evening, the occupants of the five-storey accommodation were required to attend a compulsory meeting at the Abercrombie Business School. Requests to attend the event were sent on February 29. 

At the event, students were informed of their eviction, and told that they would receive an email confirming this information the following day. 

The news did not reach tenants’ mailbox until Wednesday. This meant that tenants still had to pay their rent which is required every Tuesday fortnight. 

Tenants will be given 48-hours notice to pack and relocate to other accommodation sites where they will be expected to stay for up to eight weeks. Afterwards, tenants will be relocated back to their original accommodation. 

The apartment building has self-contained studios, which have “been recommended as the most suitable accommodation for self-isolation,” the University said in an email to students. 

“We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause you and we will do all we can to minimise disruption.” 

Tenants expressed their concern about moving back to the quarantine-site. Director of Student Support Services, Mark Try reassured students that all rooms and living areas would be cleaned. 

Tenants also expressed concerns about disruption to their studies as the deadline-season approaches. “We could receive that notice any moment, it’s scary. Packing, moving, reorganising, reorienting, and cleaning the new place,” said a masters student, who preferred not to be named.

The University will provide free-storage, and assistance with the move. 

“We are carefully planning for several scenarios, including a potential lift of the current travel restrictions,” said a University of Sydney spokesperson. 

“As part of this work, this week we informed students residing in one of our residences that they may need to temporarily relocate, in order to allow for appropriate housing of any students that are booked into a University accommodation and need to self isolate.”

“We’re aware that moving would be inconvenient and possibly distressing for some”

“Always, the safety, health and wellbeing of our students is our first priority.”

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