*STUDENT EMAIL ISSUED 02/10/2020*
To: All Students
From: Professor Gavin Brown, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education
Subject: Our response to additional local restrictions
Dear Student,
As you may have seen, the Government announced yesterday additional measures as a result of the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Liverpool City Region. I know this will be a concerning time for you and would like to reassure you that we will continue to do all we can to support you and keep you safe.
You will have seen just some of the many robust safety measures in place both on our campus and in our halls of residence and there is more information on those here.
Below I set out the new measures in place in Liverpool City Region and the additional measures we will be putting in place as a result.
Additional regional measures
The government has confirmed the following new rules for the Liverpool City Region which will apply from Saturday, 3 October:
Residents will be restricted by law from mixing with people outside their household or bubble in any indoor setting, including private homes and gardens
It is recommended that people do not meet with anyone outside their household or bubble in outdoor public spaces, such as parks and outdoor hospitality
Residents are also advised to only travel for essential reasons, which includes travel to educational settings, and are encouraged to walk or cycle where possible.
More details on these restrictions can be found on the government’s COVID-19 pages and Liverpool City Council’s pages.
What does this mean for me?
This means that you are now only allowed to mix socially with those in your household (your flat or house). Although the new regulations do not apply to outdoor public spaces such as parks and outdoor food and drink settings, you are strongly encouraged to only mix with those from your household in these locations, too.
The guidance on travel does not affect your ability to travel to the university campus for study.
These additional restrictions will be difficult for everyone in our community but it is very important that we all adhere to them to stop the spread of the virus and keep ourselves, the University community and our neighbours in the City Region safe. I’d like to thank you in advance for your patience and adherence to these extra rules over the coming weeks.
Will teaching change?
We are continuing to work closely with colleagues in public health and the local authorities and, as the Vice-Chancellor set out to you in her email earlier this week, we are well prepared for a range of scenarios and have a four tier response system ready, in line with Department for Education requirements.
For the last two weeks, colleagues in Schools and Departments have been considering what the introduction of additional local restrictions might mean for your face-to-face teaching in particular – to ensure you remain safe but also benefit from this important component of your studies. We are confident in the safety measures in place in teaching rooms and we will ensure that every student will continue to receive some face-to-face teaching but in some subjects this has been scaled back in view of the new measures and a desire to further reduce the number of people on campus at any one time. The timetable you received yesterday already incorporates the majority of changes departments have made in this regard, although there may be some further changes for some subjects. Where this is the case, updates will be made directly to your timetable, which you will need to check regularly throughout the semester.
I’d like to reassure you that our revised plans will not impact your ability to meet programme learning outcomes and that any reduction in face-to-face teaching on campus associated with this change will, wherever possible, be balanced by more online learning and teaching.
We hope that after a limited period of further restriction we will be able to revert to our original plans for teaching and increase the amount of in-person contact on your course. As I have mentioned before, any changes to our planned teaching delivery will be informed by our own experts and our continued close engagement with public health experts in the city council and Public Health England, as well as Government; and, as ever, this will be based on the best data and expertise available.
The additional local measures in place also mean we need to review the way in which we provide some of our other services. You will remain able to access support, library, catering, sports and other facilities but it will be necessary to amend the ways in which we deliver these services in some places. We will provide you with an update on what this means for you next week.
Support
We are very conscious that both the pandemic and the announcement of additional regional measures will be particularly difficult for some members of our community and I would urge anyone who is struggling to seek support. We have a range of wellbeing and mental health support services available to all students and you will continue to be able to access these. Please do take a moment to look at what is on offer and contact the service if you feel you need support.
This remains a challenging time but I know that if we all continue to work together, we have the best chance of limiting further spread and seeing these additional restrictions lifted. We remain reliant on each of you taking responsibility for staying up to date with, and adhering to, the latest national and regional guidance. From wearing a face covering, unless you are exempt, to hand washing and social distancing, there are important steps each of us can take to keep one another safe.
With best wishes,
Gavin
Professor Gavin Brown
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education