Updated face covering guidance and regular Lateral Flow Testing on campus

One of the most significant measures we can take at the moment to minimise the risk of COVID-19 is to keep the number of people on campus to a minimum. The advice from the government remains clear that all colleagues must work from home unless it is necessary that they should be on campus. Any requests to work on campus must be approved by your Head of School or Function.

Previous core control measures, including regular hand-washing, maintaining a distance from other people and wearing face coverings have all proved key and effective in reducing transmission, and should be continued.

For those colleagues who are on campus, please be aware of the following important Health & Safety developments - the updated guidance on face coverings and the new regular Lateral Flow Testing. We will keep colleagues updated if any further measures are necessary. If you have any concerns or questions, please speak with your Health & Safety Co-Ordinator in the first instance.

Updated face covering guidance

We have updated our guidance related to wearing face coverings on campus. There are three main elements, which apply to everyone (unless you are exempt from wearing a face covering):

1. Face coverings must be worn in all areas on campus where they are legally required (for example, in shops, takeaway food outlets, on public transport and in places of worship).
2. You are expected to wear a face covering in all shared indoor spaces (or ‘common areas'), including classrooms, lecture theatres, the Library, study spaces and corridors.
3. Face coverings are recommended to be worn at all times on campus, including outdoors where others are using the same space, to mitigate the risk of transmission when passing other people.

Face coverings are now expected to be worn at all times in the Library and other study spaces (including RUSU's The Study and our PC study labs). This includes when sat at a desk, even when two metres away from others, given the risks associated with different people moving around in the same space indoors.

This new guidance will come into effect from Tuesday 26 January. Additional signs reminding colleagues and students to wear face coverings will soon be put up around campus.

Colleagues are expected to wear a face covering in all shared indoor spaces, including kitchens and staff rooms. In offices, where the number of people using the space at any one time is limited, colleagues may choose to remove their face covering when sat at their desk, as long as they are working at least two metres away from others. Please remember to put it back on to move around inside the building, including when you move away from your desk for any reason.

It is important to note that some people are exempt from wearing face coverings. This can be for a wide range of reasons, including hidden disabilities. If you see someone wearing a sunflower lanyard, this indicates that they have a hidden disability. However, wearing one is a personal choice and not everyone affected by a hidden disability will choose to do so.  There is no requirement for someone to carry an exemption card or badge if they do not wish to do so.

New regular Lateral Flow Testing for students and colleagues on campus

Following updated guidance from Public Health England (PHE), staff and students who are on campus are strongly advised to take a Lateral Flow Test twice a week, ideally 3 days apart, at the SportsPark. Although not mandatory, testing can identify those who are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19 but are unknowingly carrying the virus. Our testing facility has added extra capacity for testing up until 15 February, when we understand that further guidance will be issued by the government.

We will strongly encourage all students to participate in regular testing, although students will not be required to provide evidence of a negative test result in order to attend face-to-face teaching.