A message to all staff

Dear  colleagues,

As we prepare for the new term, I know many of you are keen to know how we plan to keep campus  Covid-secure as students begin to arrive.

Firstly, I wanted to reiterate that our teams have been  working hard to  make sure  campus is  Covid-secure for  students and  those of you who  are required to spend time here. This includes  clear signage, give-way systems, careful management of space requirements and plenty of hand sanitising stations.  Many of you will continue to work from home to reduce the number of people on campus and all large-scale teaching activities will be conducted online.

However, with infection rates in Leeds  now  being closely monitored, it’s more important than ever that we remain vigilant and take every precaution to keep ourselves and the people around us safe.  We recognise that some colleagues will have essential cause to be onsite at some times, and that the campus is not only a central hub but also home to many of our students.

Student representatives from Leeds University Union have therefore worked with us to draw up some guidelines which represent our responsibilities to each other as part of the University’s community.  By working together we can make sure Leeds  remains  a safe, inspiring and fun place to study, live and work.

Thank you for your continued support and diligence.

With my best wishes

Roger Gair
University Secretary

Our shared safety commitments

Together we  will  keep our community safe by:

• Washing  our hands regularly  and using  the hand sanitising stations provided
• Wearing  face coverings  in line  with  guidance, unless we have a  legitimate  reason  not to
• Keeping  a safe distance  from  each  other  and following  social distancing  and other  guidelines on campus, in halls of residence  and in the city
• Behaving responsibly, respectfully  and with consideration  on campus  in residences  and  in the local  community  and  not  organising or  attending gatherings which break laws or  Government social distancing guidelines
• Showing kindness and support  for classmates, neighbours and colleagues, especially  those  who are at home,  self-isolating  or vulnerable
• Self-isolating  if we  have  Covid-19 symptoms  and  booking a test
• Letting the University know  if we test positive for Covid-19  and  following  Government and University  guidance

 The University will enable us to keep each other safe by:

• Minimising  the number of people on campus by ensuring people work from home wherever possible
• Providing  lectures and other large group teaching activities online
• Implementing social  distancing, pedestrian  management  systems and limits on room capacities to keep  campus  Covid-secure
• Making it easy to raise concerns and get support if we feel unsafe because of the behaviour of others
• Making face coverings available to staff and students who need them
• Enhancing the cleaning of all University buildings
• Providing  hand sanitising stations  across  campus
• Hosting a  Covid-19 testing centre on campus to support  the NHS  ‘test and trace’ approach to combatting the disease
• Responding to changes in  Government guidelines when required

In the next few days, we’ll share more information with staff and students about the process for reporting a positive Covid-19 test result.

For more information on how we’re making campus  Covid-secure, watch the A Safe Environment at Leeds video and visit the updated coronavirus website.