Update for staff following Government announcements on increased COVID measures
23 Sep 2020
A message from Professor Nalin Thakkar and Karen Heaton
The Government has brought in new measures to limit transmission of COVID-19 but has made it clear that universities should remain open. This reinforces the Department for Education advice for universities on reopening campuses which we are currently following.
Government advice that people should work from home where possible aligns with our own approach so if you are currently working from home and have not been asked to return to work on campus you should continue to work from home. Many of our colleagues are already working on campus or about to return for the start of the new academic year because they have been identified as carrying out work in priority areas. These staff should continue to come to work on campus as requested by their manager.
The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students continues to be our main priority and we can reassure you that a huge amount of work has taken place over the past few months to make our campus as COVID-secure as possible. We are following the latest Government guidance and in many instances have introduced more stringent measures.
We have two-metre social distancing in place across campus and we mandated that face coverings are worn inside, with appropriate exemptions for health and disability-related reasons. We have also put in place additional cleaning on campus. You can find out more about the safety measures which have been put in place on StaffNet and a short video is also available.
It is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the safety measures in place on campus to look after their own health and that of students and colleagues. Of course, if you have COVID symptoms, have tested positive or are self-isolating because you have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace you must not come into work on campus. If you have tested positive you must report this to your line manager who will use the online reporting form to ensure the University has an up-to-date record of all staff and students who have tested positive and can take appropriate action.
From Thursday you can also download the NHS Test and Trace app.
Detailed guidance is available to help managers support staff returning to campus. Thank you for your continued support and commitment.
Best wishes
Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility and Chair of Corporate Support and Campus Reopening Group
Karen Heaton, Director of Human Resources
Further information
Further guidance and FAQs on returning to work on campus are available on StaffNet: