As Christchurch and most of the country prepares to move into Covid-19 Alert Level 2, two tertiary institutions move swiftly to restrict contact.
University of Canterbury incident controller Michel Fivet said lectures would move online from midday Wednesday, but labs and small specialist classes under 100 would continue with physical distancing.
Tests would go ahead with physical distancing rules and dates of assessment deadlines would not change.
Fivet said the central campus library would be limited to 600 people at a time with physical distancing strictly enforced.
All students were required to use the government Covid Tracker App on their phones, or scan their Canterbury card when entering buildings around the campus.
Lincoln University would remain open but face-to-face learning was restricted, said a spokesperson who did not want to be named. This applied to all students.
Ara public relations specialist Kate Bailey said the polytechnic would remain open with classes continuing as they did not usually exceed 100.
Ara Institiute of Canterbury has delayed a Whakatau, due to group size issues and difficulties in distancing. This was supposed to be held at the Manawa campus in the city this morning.
Chief executive Tony Gray said in an email to staff that an official launch for the Framework for Maori Achievement would go ahead via Zoom this afternoon instead.
He encouraged students and staff to "remain vigilant and follow official advice".
"This is likely to be a fast-changing situation and we will continue to watch the latest government announcements and provide regular updates to colleagues and learners," Gray said.