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Student Update: New Covid-19 rules and face-coverings on campus

26/11/2021
Student Update: New Covid-19 rules and face-coverings on campus

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

Communication sent by email to all students on Friday, 26 November 2021. Visit our Coronavirus web pages for further information and guidance. 

Over the weekend, many of you will have seen that new Covid-19 rules for staying safe this winter have been introduced. In this update, you’ll find information on how these changes affect us at the University. 

Please be assured that all face to face teaching on campus will continue as timetabled.

Face coverings

We strongly recommend all students, staff and visitors who are not exempt, to wear a face-covering when on campus. This includes:
  • Communal areas, e.g. libraries, corridors, stairwell and catering outlets.
  • Teaching settings, e.g. labs, workshops, classrooms and lecture theatres.
  • Office spaces, e.g. Faculty Student Services and lecturer offices.
We expect students and staff to support the wellbeing of each other and the wider University community. We must be mindful that some people will feel anxious about being on campus and around other people. Face coverings are reported to reduce the dispersion of expiratory droplets, meaning if you're carrying the virus, you're less likely to spread it when you talk or exhale.
 
Face coverings are mandatory on all forms of public transport, and this includes the University campus buses. 
 
We understand that not everyone can wear a face-covering for medical reasons, but if you can, then you must do so to help protect others. You should consider wearing a visor if a face-covering is not possible for you.

Testing

Students and staff in education settings should continue to undertake twice weekly using lateral flow device (LFD) tests. Visit our Testing webpage for more information.

Vaccination

All eligible staff and students are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters.

Vaccines are our best defence against Covid-19. They help protect everyone and make people less likely to catch the virus and less likely to pass it on.

You can book an appointment through the NHS vaccination booking portal.

Contact tracing and isolation

The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains in place - which means that close contacts of a positive case should take PCR tests but do not need to isolate unless they are over 18 and not fully vaccinated. The exception is for close contacts of suspected or confirmed Omicron cases, who will be asked to isolate for ten days.

Please be aware that being fully vaccinated means 14 days have passed since your second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine given by the NHS.
 
You can help protect our community by downloading the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app. It's the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk from coronavirus both on campus and when you're out in the community.

Good hygiene

Everyone should continue to follow the basic rules of good hygiene. This will help to protect individuals and others from Covid-19. These are:

  • washing your hands
  • cleaning your surroundings
  • covering your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.

More information on our guidance for staying safe on campus is available on our Safety on campus webpage.

International travel

Any international travel relating to your course, for example, a field trip or course excursion, will be postponed until the new year. Please contact your Course Leader or Personal Tutor if you have any questions. 

Stay up to date with the latest information

Please keep checking your University WLV emails and reading these updates. We are committed to keeping students up to date. We do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the student news webpage.

Visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpages for information on how you can stay safe and help protect our University community during the pandemic.
 
Thanks, and stay safe.

Stay safe, be kind.  

Julia Clarke 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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