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:

• social distancing measures 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
  
• hand sanitiser stations at building entrances and exits and enhancing cleaning regimes
• one-way systems and maximum occupancy restrictions in some areas
• bedrooms available on campus for new students travelling from countries that require a period of self-isolation after arriving in the UK
• additional space on campus and in town to ease pressure on buildings and transport
• reusable face coverings available to staff and students who need them
  
• the SafeZone app that you can download and easily send an alert or call for help, and the University can also issue urgent alerts to members of our community
• booking system for study spaces in University buildings so we can ensure the capacity is managed safely

Please make yourself aware of current face covering requirements in University buildings and on campus.

Public Health advice is that three ply face coverings are most effective. These need to be put on and taken off carefully, correctly worn and stored properly when not in use in order to be effective. Full details are available on GOV.UK.

Covid-19 symptoms can include a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. You can check the NHS guidance on Covid-19 symptoms.

Of course, you should only travel to Bath if you are free from Covid-19 symptoms and are not self-isolating.

If you, or any of the people you live with, develop symptoms of Covid-19, you should isolate from others and seek a PCR test straight away. If you are a student tell us if you have symptoms of Covid-19 so we can support you. If you are a member of staff please inform your line manager straight away.

Find out how to get a free NHS PCR test to check if you have coronavirus. If you have a home test kit, read the instructions carefully and watch the short film on how to take a coronavirus self-test swab. If you are a student living in University accommodation, you must not come to the post room and collect or drop off the test. Call Security on extension 5349 (from a mobile 01225 385349) and they will arrange secure drop off and collection. If you need to travel to a testing site for a Covid-19 test Security can help you with transport in a Covid-secure vehicle, call extension 5349 (from a mobile 01225 385349).

If you do not have symptoms, you should take a lateral flow test before returning to Bath or to campus. Book your Covid tests before accessing University facilities (e.g. the Library) and limit contact with others until you receive a negative test result. Once you have returned to Bath, you are expected to get a lateral flow test twice a week. Staff working on campus should also get tested twice a week. Read our FAQs on testing for more information.

If you have Covid-19 symptoms or have received a positive PCR test result, you must stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started.

If you live in the same household as someone with Covid-19, you must self-isolate for 10 days. The 10-day period starts from the day the first person in your house developed symptoms or, if they do not have symptoms, from the day their test was taken.

If you are self-isolating, government advice is very clear about what you can and cannot do:

• do not go to work, university, or public places – study or work from home if you can
• do not go on public transport or use taxis
• do not go out to get food and medicine – order it online or by phone, or ask someone to bring it to your home
• do not have visitors in your home, including friends and family, except for people providing essential care
• do not go out to exercise – exercise at home or in your garden, if you have one

People living in a household do not need to observe social distancing with each other. So, family groups, those sharing University flats and in kitchen groups, or students living with housemates off campus are considered to be in households.

If anyone within a household has symptoms of Covid-19 or is tested positive, the whole household must self-isolate following NHS guidance.

In University accommodation, you cannot have visitors from other household groups in your flat or room to minimise risks to yourself and other residents. Students living with housemates off campus should abide by government guidance.

Since Monday 12 April you are able to:

• meet six people, or people from two households, outdoors in public places or in private gardens, with social distancing
  
• continue an exclusive ‘support bubble’ with one other household if you're a single adult household (an adult who lives alone or with dependent children only)
  
• exercise outdoors with up to six people, or people from two households
  
• take part in formally organised outdoor sports with any number of people
  
• visit indoor leisure facilities such as gyms with your household or support bubble
  
• meet at outdoor hospitality venues offering table service, including cafes, pubs and restaurants, still limited to six people or two households.

You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household - meaning the people you live with - or support bubble.

Transport in the hilly city of Bath can pose a challenge at the best of times. We’ve been working with the local council and bus operator to plan Covid-secure routes between campus, town, and residential areas.

There are walking and cycling routes between the city and campus which will benefit your health as well as the environment.

Buses are likely to be operating with reduced capacity, and wearing face coverings is mandatory, with limited exemptions.

The bus drivers and marshalls will be doing their best to keep Bath moving. We ask that all members of our community are mindful, patient, and kind in our interactions with fellow passengers and bus drivers.

We strongly recommend staff and students do not practice car sharing, both for public health reasons and because if one person in the car were to test positive then all those in the car would become contacts and be required to self-isolate.

For more information please visit our Travel Advice page.

Make sure you are aware of the UK Government's rules for domestic travel and the rules for international travel.