Following the Prime Minister's recent announcement, the latest Government guidance is for universities, schools and colleges to remain open.
Students have been asked not to leave their term-time addresses to return home before 2 December to reduce the spread of the virus.
Commuter students are allowed to travel to university for educational purposes, but are advised to take account of public health guidance on safer travel.
Our libraries can remain open and our cafes can offer a takeaway service, but our campus gyms and bars are now closed. The Government will issue further guidance on how students can return home safely at the end of term.
What the lockdown means for us
We will be continuing with our established blended learning approach – a mixture of online and face-to-face teaching. So, while our staff in non-student-facing roles will be working remotely, you will continue to see students and staff on our campuses, in line with Government guidance.
We are very clear on our expectations, which are set out in our Covid-Safe charter. Students and staff must adhere to social distancing rules and wear face coverings (or exemption badges) and will only be able to socialise with those in their immediate household. In some cases this may be up to 9 in a group.
We continue with our measures to keep our campuses Covid-safe, which includes additional cleaning, one way systems and reduced occupancy, and changed layouts in all of our teaching spaces.
Supporting our university community
I am very conscious of the strain the new lockdown places on students and staff and the potential for increased anxiety. Our whole university community has access to support and is being provided with regular updates and guidance.
We are also working hard to support our students in university accommodation, providing access to additional online events and activities, and increased support with food and essential supplies if they are required to self-isolate.
We have also introduced a telephone support line for parents and carers, so they have a point of contact if they are concerned about a student at our university.
While cases of Covid-19 among our students and staff remains thankfully low, we continue to be vigilant. We are working very closely with our local Public Health Teams and will keep the situation in and around our campuses and accommodation under close review.
The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and local communities remains my top priority. You can read more about our actions to keep our campuses Covid-safe on our website.
