Last week, the government announced the lifting of its 'Plan B' measures.

From Thursday 27 January face coverings will no longer be mandatory in indoor venues, and organisations will be able to choose whether to require NHS Covid Passes. The Department for Education has updated its guidance for higher education accordingly.

Plan A at Nottingham

From Monday 31 January, the university will in effect revert to our Plan A safety measures whereby we:

• strongly encourage staff and students to wear face coverings in indoor spaces
• continue to test for Covid-19 at least weekly
• take up full vaccination and boosters

Please read the following sections for further details and rationale for these decisions, which have been discussed and agreed with the city’s public health team.

Teaching

Updated guidance published by the Department for Education sets the expectation that all higher education providers should ensure that they deliver face-to-face teaching without restrictions.

As previously communicated, the university’s plans to commence fuller in-person teaching in January remain unchanged, and we look forward to seeing you in your teaching sessions.

Face coverings

Whilst the government has said that face coverings will no longer be mandatory in indoor venues, the university continues to strongly encourage the wearing of face coverings in all indoor spaces, unless exempt, and this includes corridors, communal spaces and libraries as well as teaching settings, including lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories and workshops.

When working or studying in NHS environments, staff and students should continue to obey NHS rules, which mandate the wearing of surgical face masks. If working in or visiting the Medical School Building, because of its close proximity to NHS space, staff and students are expected to continue to wear face coverings unless they have a valid exemption.

Covid testing and vaccinations

Staff and students should continue to test for Covid-19 at least weekly using the university’s unique asymptomatic testing service. The test is quick, simple and identifies infection at the earliest possible stage so that you can avoid transmitting illness to others.

Reporting and recording illness

If you do develop symptoms or test positive for Covid-19, please complete our reporting form. This information is essential to help us track infections and manage potential outbreaks. We will continue to publish active case data for staff and students.

Please continue to follow these guidelines and act cautiously and considerately to help us keep our community as safe as possible. Continued case numbers are to be expected as our data reflects national trends. However, we are confident that the measures we have in place on campus will help to keep transmission as low as possible.

We will, of course, continue to monitor the situation and keep our policies under review. We will update you with any changes or updates to national or local guidance over the coming weeks.