Managing the virus and taking precautions
The health and safety of our community is our priority. Our COVID secure measures, including safe-distancing, hygiene, cleaning and the expected use of face coverings, have been designed and implemented to minimise the likelihood of transmission even in the instance of a positive case. We are also prepared to respond rapidly to implement additional and appropriate measures where necessary and in the instance of suspected or confirmed cases, working closely with Public Health England and local health protection teams. As part of this planning, the privacy of our staff and students is at the forefront, and in line with data protection, we will never disclose an individual’s details or case numbers.
As a community we will remain agile and act quickly as part of measures to keep our King’s community safe, including remote working and learning away from campus at short notice if required.
If you experience any coronavirus symptoms including a new continuous cough, a high temperature, a loss of, or change in your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), please follow government guidelines on self-isolation and quarantine. Please stay at home until you are fully recovered, complete the King’s self-isolation form and record your sickness absence in the usual way.
Further information is available online on our coronavirus and wellbeing pages.
For more information on the questions below and for additional guidance, please refer to the Suspected or Confirmed Case Detailed Guidance on SharePoint, which contains step-by-step, detailed instructions.
- If you develop coronavirus symptoms, you must self-isolate at home and do not come onto campus.
- Request a test immediately through the NHS.
- Complete the King’s self-isolation form as a first notification.
- Record your sickness absence in the usual way.
- Provide a full list of close contacts (work and non-work) to the NHS Test and Trace team as requested.
- Complete the King’s self-isolation form. If you have already reported that you have symptoms as a first notification and/or if your test was precautionary and you do not have symptoms, please complete this as an ‘update [to] your circumstances’.
- Inform your line manager/supervisor/PI that the COVID-19 test has come back positive.
- Follow the NHS advice around self-isolation and contact the NHS immediately if symptoms persist or get worse.
- Stay at home until you have completed the self-isolation period and feel fully recovered.
- You will receive communications either via your Faculty/Department or via an email from the senior leadership team.
- Please refer to our remote working webpages for the tips and guidance on working away from campus.
- If you experience symptoms, you must self-isolate and do not come onto campus.
- Request a test immediately through the NHS.
- Complete the King’s self-isolation form as a first notification.
- If you’re living in a King’s Residence, please also inform your residence staff so they can support you while you’re self-isolating.
- Stay at home until you have completed the self-isolation period and feel fully recovered.
- Provide a full list of close contacts to NHS Test and Trace teamas requested.
- Complete the King’s self-isolation form. If you have already reported that you have symptoms as a first notification and/or if your test was precautionary and you do not have symptoms, please complete this as an ‘update [to] your circumstances’.
- Use the self-isolation formto provide information about if and where you have attended campus in the two days prior to experiencing symptoms.
- Inform your department office / personal tutor and residence manager (if applicable) that the COVID-19 test has come back positive. Contact details can be found here:
If your friend, classmate or flatmate has informed you that they’ve tested positive and you have been in close contact with them or if you’re notified by NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus:
- Self-isolate and request a test immediately through the NHS.
- Please do not share information about your classmate, friend or flatmate who has tested positive as this is medically confidential information to them.
- Notify your departmental office, Personal Tutor and/or residence manager to confirm that you are self-isolating because you have been identified as a close contact.
- Complete the King’s self-isolation form.
- Where possible, please continue to engage with study-related activity as much as you can remotely.
- Ask your staff member or PGR to complete the King’s self-isolation form.
- Do not notify any other staff or students at this time. Information about an individual’s personal circumstances is strictly confidential.
- If they can, they can continue to work from home. Where work cannot be undertaken remotely, discuss the options identified in the Return to working on campus policy.
- Highlight to the staff member / PGR that if they develop COVID-19 symptoms to act immediately and request a test through the NHS. Continue to provide support and direct them to online resources: http://kcl.ac.uk/coronavirus and https://www.kcl.ac.uk/wellbeing.
- Advise them to provide a full list of close contacts to the NHS Test and Trace team as requested.
- Ask them to complete the self-isolation form. Where a form has already been completed, ask the staff member to select ‘update of circumstances’.
- Inform the Personal Health Silver Team that a member of staff / PGR in your area has tested positive for COVID-19. They will advise on how and what to communicate with an area or department and will liaise with relevant areas such as Campus Operations cleaning teams.
- If a student contacts you stating they are self-isolating, advise the student to complete the self-isolation form and to request a test through NHS without delay if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
- Do not notify any other staff or students at this time. Information about an individual’s personal circumstances is strictly confidential.
- Ensure they feel supported and have the information they need. If the student is due to take an assessment, follow the normal guidance for sickness absence during an assessment period.
- If a student contacts you stating they have tested positive for COVID-19, advise the student to stay at home, to complete the self-isolation form and follow NHS guidance.
- They should use the self-isolation form to provide information about if and where they have attended campus 48 hours before they developed symptoms.
- Notify the Personal Health Silver Team that a student has informed you they have tested positive for coronavirus.
- Do not notify any other staff or students at this time.
- Ensure they feel supported and have the information they need. If the student is due to take an assessment, follow the normal guidance for sickness absence during an assessment period.
- Actively discourage rumour and discussion about anyone’s personal circumstances
- Escalate via the appropriate route either through your Faculty and/or the Personal Health Silver Team
- Do not communicate about a suspected or confirmed case until you have received guidance from them.
- If the individual has informed you directly, offer support as appropriate. A period of self-isolation or a positive test result can be distressing.