On Monday evening the government confirmed that the easing of all remaining Covid-19 restrictions will now end on Monday 19 July (although this could be brought forward by two weeks should infections decrease). This means step three restrictions remain in place. You can read more about the announcement here.

How will this affect our university rules and restrictions?

As you know many health and safety measures have been introduced at the university over the last 14 months as part of our status as a Covid-secure campus.

We will now await guidance from the Department for Education to ensure that where we modify or remove any Covid-safety measures we do so in a safe and considered way, with appropriate risk assessment. For returning students I will write to you again before the start of the new academic year to confirm what will change and how. Any changes will also be reflected in our Welcome Back and registration plans in September.

Being respectful of your community

While we remain in this stage of the Prime Minister’s roadmap, we urge you to remain cautious; many members of our community have not yet received the vaccine and are keen to protect themselves and their families. Please be considerate of your neighbours, remembering that some of them will have small children or have health vulnerabilities.

New academic year 2021/22

We are all looking forward to a time of fewer restrictions and are working hard to prepare our campuses for an exceptional Nottingham student experience in the new academic year including a two-week Welcome period.

However, the situation is still volatile and there are concerns about potential spikes or waves in the future. With this in mind, we have developed a flexible approach with everyone’s health and safety at the forefront of our planning. This includes supporting vaccination and our comprehensive on-campus Covid-19 testing programme and being prepared to reinstate social distancing measures if instructed by the government or health authorities. Timetabling in Semester 1 is designed to facilitate this. We are confident that this approach will allow us to return as safely and swiftly as possible to an on-campus student experience, and make adjustments to our activity as required, depending on the course of the pandemic.

Testing and Vaccination Programme

We will still expect staff and students to be tested regularly and to follow the established reporting and isolating guidelines should they test positive. If you are symptomatic you should not come onto campus and should isolate, notify the university and arrange to have a confirmatory test.

We expect students on campus to continue taking asymptomatic tests at least once a week. We will also be encouraging everyone eligible to take up the offer of the vaccine when invited, with those 21 and over now able to book their first doses. We have two vaccination sites on our campuses at Cripps Health Centre and Kings Meadow Campus and you can find out more about the vaccination programme on our website including details of how to book and other FAQs.

For those of you who have completed your last weeks at the University of Nottingham I would like to wish you the best of luck for your future endeavours. I look forward to welcoming our returners back and hope you all enjoy a well-earned summer.

Best wishes,

Professor Andy Long,
FREngProvost & Deputy Vice-Chancellor
University of Nottingham