Managing the virus and taking precautions

• If you experience symptoms, you must self-isolate and do not come onto campus.
• Request a test immediately through the NHS.
• See the self-isolation guide for students.
• 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 team as requested.
• See the self-isolation guide for students.
• 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 form to 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:

• You can also access a range of advice and support services and resources, details of which are available via or King’s website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/wellbeing.
• If you have concerns about your circumstances (wellbeing, financial, visa-related) please refer to Student Services Onlineor email advice@kcl.ac.uk.

If your friend, classmate or flatmate has informed you that they’ve tested positive and you have been in close contact with them (within 2 metres) or if you’re notified by King's university or King's Residences or NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus:

• Self-isolate and if you start to experience symptoms, 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.
• See the self-isolation guide for students.
• Where possible, please continue to engage with study-related activity as much as you can remotely.

Please note: If you are fully vaccinated with a UK approved vaccine you do not need to self-isolate. You are advised take a PCR test - including KCL TEST - to confirm you are negative for COVID.

Protecting the health and wellbeing of the King’s community is our priority. We have robust measures in place which we expect our community to adhere to including the use of face coverings inside our buildings (unless exempt), safe distancing, washing hands/using hand sanitiser and following the signs, marked entrances and exits around campus.

We have carried out risk assessments on our buildings and spaces and put measures and protocols in place in line with UK Government guidance and the advice of our academic and Health & Safety experts. Where necessary, we are well prepared and able to respond rapidly to implement additional and appropriate measures, working closely with Public Health England and local health protection teams.

As a first step, they would be asked to self-isolate in their room with the appropriate welfare support provided by the residences team. The Personal Health Incident Team would assess the student’s whereabouts on campus in the 48hrs before the onset of symptoms. They would use this information to determine which bubbles need to self-isolate as a precautionary measure and which spaces require a deep clean. This action would be taken in conjunction with the NHS Track and Trace system.

Communications would either come from the relevant Faculty/Department or from Senior Management via your KCL email. Where we are able, a notice period to vacate campus will be given but this might not always be possible.

Faculties will be advising students directly of any changes to timetabled teaching on campus.

This will depend on your individual Faculty/Department and they will be in touch with students as to any planned changes. All faculties have plans in place to be able to deliver high-quality teaching fully online if necessary and in a way that enables students to continue to fully engage and succeed with their studies.

• 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 Government 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.

If someone becomes unwell on campus, they must leave immediately and go home. Advise them that they should self-isolate as a precaution and request a test immediately through the NHS. Please ask them to also complete the King’s self-isolation form as a first notification. If the student or member of staff goes on to have a positive test, the Personal Health Incident Team will determine appropriate action such as self-isolation for those in the affected bubble and deep cleaning of affected spaces.

The university has plans in place to manage any changes to services that are impacted by a positive case on campus. SCOT or the Silver Incident Team will oversee any closures of rooms, floors or buildings and the completion of cleaning, in line with advice from the local Public Health team and PHE.

Faculties and Directorates will be contacted by the Silver Incident Team either directly or via Students and Education or Estates. They will be informed of any changes and will be advised to activate local plans. The Silver Incident Team will keep affected Faculties and Directorates up-to-date with progress to return to campus activities.

The Personal Silver Health Team will be in contact with the following groups in the event of a positively confirmed case or outbreak. This will usually be activated via NHS Test & Trace, however the university may escalate this directly where the circumstances of a case suggest there has been close or proximity contact, or where we may believe there is evidence of an outbreak.

• NHS Test & Trace – the UK’s national contact tracing provision for all positively confirmed coronavirus cases
• London Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) – this is a pan-London response team that oversees cases and outbreaks, advising on and supporting risk assessment and further management where required
• Local Health Protection Teams – these are managed by the Borough.

An outbreak is classed by Public Health England (PHE) as being more than two confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst students/staff who are direct close contacts, proximity contacts or in the same cohort (tutorial group, seminar group, lab session, social club, households or other defined group within the setting) at the university within 14 days.

Public Health England defines close contacts in three categories:

• Direct close contacts - direct face-to-face contact for any length of time, including sexual contacts, being coughed on or talked to OR exposure within 1 metre for more than minute.
• Proximity contacts - extended close contact (less than 2m for more than 15 minutes)
• Travel contacts - travelled in a small vehicle with a positive case

The measures we have developed and implemented including reduced building capacities, 2m social distancing, face coverings and hygiene, are designed to limit the likelihood of close and proximity contact on our campuses.