Information on new Covid-19 restrictions

Following the Government’s recent announcement of a four-week lockdown in England, we would like to provide an overview of what these tougher restrictions mean for you and your learning.

The national measures are due to come into effect on Thursday 5 November and remain in place at least until 2 December. You can find full details for what this means for you while at university here, including the background on the decision to keep universities and other education settings open in order to help protect your wellbeing and long-term futures.

For Solent, in line with government guidance:

• We will continue to carry out teaching as planned – either online or, if you are on a hybrid course, with sessions delivered in a Covid-secure way and in line with Government guidance.
• The library will remain open to support student learning, with most work continuing to take place online.
• Our gym will close until restrictions allow for re-opening.
• All our support services will continue to be available to you.
• Our catering outlets and on-campus shops will remain open for you.
• As usual, you should only attend campus for pre-arranged lessons or appointments and must continue to follow all health guidelines, including self-isolating and not attending campus if you experience any symptoms - until you receive test results.

A letter from the Universities Minister

Michelle Donelan, Universities Minister, has sent out a letter for students to provide more guidance on what the restrictions will mean for universities.

You can read the full letter here >

Key points:

• Under the new national restrictions from Thursday 5 November, you should stay in your current home to prevent any further spread of Covid-19.
• This means you should not leave your term time address to return to your permanent home address until at least Wednesday 2 December - and should continue to learn at university for the remainder of this term.
• She highlights that universities have worked hard to make teaching and learning Covid-secure and confirms they have not seen evidence of increased transmission within these environments.
• She also encourages you to speak to us at Solent – to your course leader or to a member of the Student Hub team – if you have any concerns about safety or about your academic experience.
• Finally, she recommends ‘Student Space’ as an additional source of wellbeing resources and advice, to provide support where needed.

We have also been informed by the Department for Education that they are planning to publish further guidance on the end of term soon, and we will keep you updated when we receive more information.