COVID-19

The safety of our students and colleagues, and our ability to continue your teaching and the other services you need, are our main priority.

The government’s living with COVID guidance recommends that we all take simple steps to prevent the spread of COVID.

What to do if you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19

While the legal requirement to self-isolate if you have COVID-19 has been removed, the government’s Living with COVID guidance continues to be that you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you test positive or show any of the three main symptoms – a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change to your sense of taste or smell.

As such, if you have any of these three symptoms OR you test positive for COVID-19 through a lateral flow or PCR test, we ask that you avoid attending teaching or using campus facilities:

until you test negative on a lateral flow test OR
until your symptoms have gone, up to a period of up to 7 days, if you are not able to access a lateral flow test.

Reporting

We ask that you continue to use the online reporting form if you test positive or show the main symptoms so we can provide support as required and spot any trends or signs of possible outbreaks.

If you live in Halls, please report via the Home at Halls app.

Our dashboard has information on the number of positive cases of COVID-19 reported by students and staff.

What happens if I miss teaching due to self-isolating?

If you are in self-isolation, please report your absence to your School in the usual way. You will be able to catch up on missed classes by studying the online materials available and recommended on Blackboard. If you have specific questions your module convenor will be able to advise you.

Support

If you have any concerns, or need support, please contact our Student Welfare team.

Vaccinations

All students, including international students, can access COVID-19 vaccines for free in England. We strongly encourage everyone in our community to get vaccinated as soon as they can.

You can book an appointment online through the NHS at a convenient location for you.

need an NHS number or to be registered with a GP to receive your vaccine. You can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments at an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.do not If

If you have had an MHRA-approved vaccine outside of the UK, you can also If you have had a vaccine overseas that is not available in the UK for your first or second dose, you should contact a GP to ensure you receive an appropriate vaccine for your second or booster dose. update your vaccination record on the NHS website.

We do not have plans to make vaccination mandatory for students or staff, but strongly recommend that students and colleagues get vaccinated when they can.

Travel

If you intend to travel to or from the UK, you should continue to check the latest travel guidance.

Health and safety measures on campus

Learning to “live with COVID” will be an ongoing process for all of us, that we will take at our own pace, so please continue to be considerate of others around you and respectful of their preferences.

The following measures will be in place for at least the remainder of this term:

Face coverings: we continue to encourage the wearing of face coverings when you are in crowded places or when moving around inside buildings, in line with the Living with COVID guidance.
Reporting: we ask that you continue to use the online reporting form if you test positive or have COVID symptoms. If you live in Halls, please report via the Home at Halls app.
Lifts: for the safety of those who face mobility challenges, or those who need to use lifts for their work, lifts should only be used by those who need them and only one person at a time should use lifts.
Hand sanitiser stations will remain available across our campuses.
Enhanced cleaning regimes will be retained.

Our commitment to you:

We will prepare and respond to any changes in the local or national situation quickly, providing advice and information by email for major updates, or on these webpages.
We will offer you support from our range of dedicated specialist support teams, as well as academic support.
We will provide health and safety measures appropriate to the circumstances, reviewing this regularly.
We will support you if you let us know you get a positive COVID-19 test, need to self-isolate, or would like support with your general wellbeing.
We will do our best to ensure a secure campus and investigate reported incidents of misconduct and take appropriate disciplinary action.

Disciplinary procedures

Our health and safety measures are in place not just to protect you but all members of our community, including those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. It is essential that students and members of staff can safely study and work alongside one another.

The University’s disciplinary procedures provide for a range of disciplinary outcomes ranging from warnings to fines for students who do not adhere to these rules. In serious cases or where there is repeated breach of the rules, fines can be increased, and you could be expelled from Halls and/or the University.

Contact us

Let us know if you have any health conditions that may require additional arrangements by contacting the Disability Advisory Service (DAS).

Speak to a member of staff (for example, your Module Convenor, SDTL, or Support Centre) if you do not feel the arrangements in place are suitable to protect your health.

Report any safety incidents to us using our online form.

If you have any worries whilst living in halls, you can contact the Student Welfare Team, Hall Wardens or Hall Mentors for help, support or a friendly chat, through your halls Reception, Halls Hotline, or Home at Halls app.

Reading Student Union (RUSU) also has a confidential, independent advice service for academic, financial, and housing matters.