Student Update: Local Restrictions for Wolverhampton

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).

The Government has today announced additional local restrictions for Wolverhampton following a continuing rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the city.

We understand students will have concerns about the impact of this on the University, and on your studies. It has been identified that this rise is being driven mainly by social interactions between households and not in educational settings and workplaces. It is important to note that this does not mean that Wolverhampton is returning to a full lockdown. There will be increased restrictions on some activities and businesses to help reduce the rate of positive cases.

The new restrictions are from Tuesday (22 September), but the City of Wolverhampton Council is urging people to follow them from today. The restrictions mean:

• You must not allow people you don't live with or who are not part of your bubble into your home or garden.
• You must not visit people you do not live with or who are not part of your bubble, in Wolverhampton or elsewhere.
• Only essential visits inside the home, such as by carers or for urgent repairs, will be allowed.

The measures will not affect schools/colleges/universities, public transport, workplaces or hospitality settings such as bars, restaurants and cafes, though people should still practice social distancing and wear a face covering where required.

Students living in University accommodation are treated as a shared household and will be placed into “bubble” groups. Students should not be bringing other students/friends/family into their accommodation and should be meeting outside of accommodation if they wish to socialise. 

These local restrictions are in addition to the government’s national ‘rule of six’ policy on restricted gatherings of more than six people indoors or outdoors. Education is not affected by these national restrictions, and all nurseries, schools, colleges and universities are expected to continue to operate as planned.

Safety is our key priority, and we have measures in place to ensure that our campuses can remain open safely for staff and students as part of our Road to Reopening @WLV. We anticipate that most of our activities will continue as planned with a combination of online and on-campus activity, but we will continue to monitor the situation. We have prepared a series of local restrictions FAQs to help answer any questions you might have about what this means for your studies and arrival on campus.

The additional local restrictions will be reviewed weekly by the City of Wolverhampton Council in liaison with the Department for Health and Social Care. We will update students and staff if the situation changes.

Please note the new local restrictions apply to Wolverhampton. Our campuses in Telford and Walsall are subject to the national guidance and we encourage all students, staff and visitors to ensure they are familiar with this and to follow social distancing and good hygiene advice.

WLV Welcome

We have made the decision to move all physical social activities associated with WLV Welcome online. This refers only to social activities and is across all three campuses. Educational activities including on-campus inductions will go ahead as planned – with the social distancing measures and good hygiene measures in place that our teams have been working hard to introduce across our sites.

Students can still access the WLV Welcome topic in Canvas, where you can find the induction programme from your Faculty, as well as health and safety information for when you are back on-campus, advice and guidance on engaging with blended learning and information on how to access support services.

Face coverings

In line with the latest Government guidance on the wearing of face-coverings in higher education settings, these are now mandatory in all indoor communal areas on campus such as corridors, social areas and when entering the library or catering outlets for students, staff and visitors. Once seated in learning and teaching spaces which have social distancing measures in place, including classrooms and libraries, face-coverings are optional. This is also the case for office environments.

Please be mindful that there may be some students and staff who are exempt from wearing a face-covering due to a disability. This includes hidden disabilities, such as anxiety and autism. There is not a requirement for people to prove that they are exempt from wearing a face-covering, and students can choose to communicate their exemption in their way. Please be sensitive to this.

Where you can find more information

You can find more information about our plans for the safe and managed return to our campuses in our Road to Reopening @WLV, this includes our latest updates, how we will manage your learning and teaching in the new academic year, and what you can expect on-campus.

We are committed to keeping students up to date and we do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the University Student News web page.

I want to reassure all students that staff across the University are working hard in preparation for the new semester. We strive to provide the best student experience possible, with the safety of our community at the heart of everything we do.

Thank you, and stay safe.

Geoff

Geoff Layer

Vice-Chancellor