You may notice some changes to University buildings and our campus as we put in place measures to enhance safety and wellbeing. These changes have been based on official government and public health guidance, including Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) guidance.
Our health and safety team have been working on appropriate changes and mitigations for different environments on campus. Different factors need to be taken into account in terms of the locations people are in, how long people are spending together and how close people are together.
Mitigating actions will vary depending on these factors but may include social distancing, adequate ventilation measures, the orientation of work and study spaces and additional measures like the wearing of face coverings.
Some of the changes you will see include:
- putting social distancing measures in place and repurposed space to allow for this
- maximising ventilation of spaces and moving the orientation of some work and study spaces
- staggering the start and end times of in-person teaching sessions when they are permitted
- installing hand sanitiser stations at building entrances and exits and enhancing cleaning regimes
- where possible, implementing one-way systems and maximum occupancy restrictions in some areas
- making bedrooms available on campus for new students travelling from countries that require a period of self-isolation after arriving in the UK
- securing additional space on campus and in town to ease pressure on buildings and transport
- making reusable face coverings available to staff and students who need them
- investing in the ‘Safezone’ app where those who download it can easily send an alert or call for help, and the University can also issue urgent alerts to members of our community
- developing a booking system for study spaces in University buildings so we can ensure the capacity is managed safely