When you need to isolate

You must stay at home and isolate immediately if you have COVID-19 symptoms

If you have COVID-19 symptoms you should stay at home and self isolate immediately. You should arrange to have a PCR test as soon as possible .

Contact the West Accommodation Centre , or the Security team who can arrange a postal test for you.

It is important that you isolate immediately, until you receive a negative test result.

Make sure you tell us, so we can look after you and our community.

If you receive a positive test result

You must stay in your accommodation and self-isolate immediately. This still applies even if you have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

If your positive result is from an LFT test, you do not need to take a follow up PCR test unless:

• you have received an email or letter from the NHS because of a health condition that means you may be suitable for new COVID-19 treatments, if this applies to you and you develop any COVID-19 symptoms, you should use the PCR test kit that was sent to you in the post for this purpose; if you have not received a PCR test kit you can arrange to have a PCR test.

• you are taking LFD tests as part of research or surveillance programmes, and the programme asks you to take a follow-up PCR test

• you have a positive day 2 LFD test result after you arrive in England

Please inform the Quarantine team with the result of your LFD or PCR test. If your test is positive, you will be supported throughout your isolation.

If someone in your household receives a positive test result

You must stay home and self-isolate if you are not fully vaccinated.

We will contact you about your isolation, any testing requirements and how we'll support you.

When you do not need to isolate

If someone in your household has COVID-19 and you are:

-fully vaccinated
-under the age of 18 years and 6 months

You are not required to isolate.

If you are fully vaccinated and identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 you should take a Lateral Flow Test every day for 7 days. You can either order these online or visit the Fresh Shop or West Accommodation Centre on Campus or the Virgil Building in the city to collect a pack of Lateral Flow Tests. Please note, the opening times for Fresh here.

How long to isolate for

Your isolation period starts from the date you report your symptoms to us, or if you do not have symptoms, from when your positive LFD or PCR was taken. And can last for 10 days.

It does not start from the date you started experiencing them, unless you can provide evidence.  This is because we are unable to verify when you started experiencing any symptoms.

You may be able to end your self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full days. You can take an LFD test from 6 days after the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms), and another LFD test on the following day. The second LFD test should be taken at least 24 hours later. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result.

Report your LFD test results after taking each test on the Government website

You should not take an LFD test before the fifth day of your isolation period, and you should only end your self-isolation after you have had 2 consecutive negative LFD tests which should be taken at least 24 hours apart. You should stop testing after you have had 2 consecutive negative test results.

If you are able to leave self-isolation, please ensure you do limit close contact with others especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces.

If you develop symptoms during the household self-isolation period 

Tell us that you are experiencing symptoms and get tested. 

Depending on your test result, you will be required to self-isolate for 10 days from when symptoms started.

This might mean that you end up self-isolating for a longer period of time. We will support you throughout this period.

If another member of my household develops symptoms after you have ended self-isolation

If anyone in your household develops COVID-19 symptoms after the isolation period has ended, they should arrange to have a test and everyone in the household should follow the steps in this guidance again and start isolating, even if they have had a positive COVID-19 test in the past.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms and had a positive test more than 14 days ago, you should arrange to have a new COVID-19 test. Self-isolate until you receive the test results.

If you had a positive COVID-19 test in the last 14 days, you do not need to have another test. You will still need to self-isolate for another 7 days after your symptoms start. 

If you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace

You must isolate for 10 days from the date you are given. The NHS app indicates when this period ends. We may need a screen shot of this notification for our records.

You should reduce the contact you have with your household members as much as possible.

The rest of your household does not need to isolate. They are strongly advised to:

• take an LFD test every day for 7 days, or until 10 days after the household member who has COVID-19 started their self-isolation period if this is earlier
• take this daily LFD test before you leave your home for the first time that day