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28 September 2020

Preparations and plans to respond to the risk of COVID infection

At King’s, we continue to implement a range of measures designed to reduce the risk of COVID infection in order to support our students and staff to protect themselves, those close to them and others in our wider community.

King's Flag

Whilst we all have a part to play by following the latest guidance, some in our community will exhibit symptoms and become ill. We are committed to a flexible and blended approach to teaching where possible, while remaining well prepared to adapt and make changes to our plans at short notice to respond to infections in our community and changes in line with local or UK Government guidance.

We know from instances in other universities that the virus can spread very quickly, particularly in student accommodation. We are working closely with Public Health England and local health protection teams and have planned for a number of different scenarios to put systems and procedures in place to protect and support our community.

Our residences and welfare teams are available to provide support on site in student accommodation where needed, including ensuring access to food and that any grocery or food deliveries that students have organised are brought to their door. The wellbeing of our students is a priority and in any cases of self-isolation, our teams are ready to provide regular support and to help students connect and continue to engage with the university and their studies.

We must all take personal responsibility for protecting ourselves and those around us and expect staff and students to adhere to our range of safety measures and the latest government guidelines, including the current rule of six. Our measures include the use of face coverings unless exempt inside our buildings, safe distancing at all times, the use of hand sanitiser where it is not possible to wash hands and following marked entrances and exits on campus.

All lectures and larger classes are being held online, while where possible, staff and students will be on campus for some small group teaching, practical classes and bookable library and study spaces, all at a safe distance. On campus, we have carried out risk assessments on buildings and spaces and have in place one way systems with marked entrances and exits, cleaning stations and hand sanitiser throughout our buildings and disinfectant wipes provided to clean desks and shared equipment before and after use.

The health and wellbeing of our community of staff and students is our priority. We will continue to keep our community of students, staff and our local community informed should infections rise and response plans be needed as the situation with the pandemic evolves.

Steve Large, Senior Vice President (Operations)