COVID-19 update: Start of spring term and the weeks ahead
06 January 2022
All-staff email sent on behalf of Dominik Zaum, Chair of the Major Recovery Team (21 December 2021)
Dear colleagues,
I hope that you are well and have enjoyed the holiday period. Ahead of the new term, I am writing with some updates and guidance for the spring term.
As always, our priority is to keep you and our students safe and well. We are keeping a close eye both on the development of the current Omicron wave and the growing amount of information we have about the variant’s impact. We understand that this is an uncertain and at times concerning time for colleagues. Like other organisations we are expecting increased staff absences over the coming weeks as a result of COVID infections, self-isolation, and care responsibilities, and we are putting in place plans to manage this.
Since the last update, the government has confirmed that its ‘Plan B’ will continue for now. However, there have been some recent updates to testing requirements and self-isolation advice, including:
- changes to the requirement for asymptomatic people to take a confirmatory PCR test after a positive lateral flow test from 11 January. If you have COVID-19 symptoms you should still isolate and promptly arrange a PCR test. Please make sure that you continue to report all positive tests – whether from a lateral flow test or a PCR test – to the University.
- self-isolation period reducing to 7 days if you get 2 negative lateral flow tests on day 6 and 7.
- changes to testing before travelling to England and removal of the requirement to self-isolate on arrival from 7 January.
You can read more information about these updates on the government website.
Campus control measures
We have reviewed our control measures this week in the light of current national and local circumstances and the latest government guidance and advice. There will be no significant changes to our control measures, such as working from home if possible, ventilation requirements and one-way systems. We continue to expect face coverings in all indoor spaces (including teaching rooms, the Library and communal areas of halls) when moving around and where social distancing cannot be maintained. These measures have so far been successful in tackling the spread of COVID-19 on campus. As always, we keep these under review and will adjust them accordingly if necessary.
The weeks ahead
Government has reiterated its expectation that universities retain face-to-face teaching, and our plans for teaching in the spring term remain unchanged, with a focus on in-person teaching on campus, and without provision for at-a-distance study, except in some limited circumstances. However, we do recognise that we will continue to face disruption due to COVID-19 this term. Like many other sectors we can expect heightened staff absences in the coming weeks due to testing positive for COVID-19, self-isolation for other reasons, or because of care responsibilities. Contingency planning is in place to help mitigate this potential disruption.
If you test positive for COVID, you must inform your line manager as soon as possible so they can provide you with appropriate support, make appropriate arrangements to cover essential work and take action to minimise any potential risk to others.
If you are unwell, the priority of course is to look after yourself. There is no expectation on you to work if you are not well enough to do so.
If you feel well enough to work, or are isolating for another reason, you may be able to perform some or all of your work remotely, and you should speak to your line manager about how this can be undertaken. If you are a member of academic staff and have scheduled teaching sessions, we ask you to move these online in the timetabled slot if at all possible. If that is not possible (ie where they cannot be replicated online), sessions should be rescheduled. Where neither is feasible, line managers might ask colleagues to cover for these teaching sessions to minimize disruption to teaching programmes, or will explore with you how lost teaching can be made up following your recovery.
When considering mitigating actions, colleagues should pay particular attention to any students with known additional needs and those in the final year of their studies. Please prioritise returning to students any delayed assessments and, where the 15-day deadline will not be met, ensure students are informed when they will receive their assessments and feedback.
We will be telling students that we are likely to face some staff absences due to COVID-19, that this will result in short-notice changes to teaching arrangements, and that we will do all we can to minimise any disruption to their learning.
Lateral flow testing and vaccinations
We strongly encourage all colleagues and students to get COVID-19 vaccines when they are offered, and to take a lateral flow test every day if you are on campus, even if you have been vaccinated, to provide extra reassurance that you do not have COVID-19. The Library lateral flow collection point reopened this week, where you can pick up test kits from Monday to Thursday between 13:00 and 16:00.
Please do not come to campus if you are showing any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild, and take a test straight away. We are all now familiar with the fact that the COVID-19 situation is an ever-evolving one, and we continue to consider a range of possible developments if changes are required.
How we as a community work together within the necessary guidelines, and in response to further unforeseen circumstances, will be key to navigating these ongoing challenges successfully.
Best wishes,
Dominik
Dominik Zaum
Chair, Major Recovery Team