Today, 1 November, the Vice Chancellor wrote to all staff. You can read the full email below:
I’m sure by now you have heard the news that the Government has announced that from Thursday 5 November we will be entering into a month long lockdown until early December, and that this covers the whole of the country.
This is certainly a difficult time for everyone and I’m sure that you’re feeling concerned about the next few weeks.
The Prime Minister has been very clear that universities will remain open and I’m pleased that this means our students’ education has been prioritised. So this means we will continue to work hard to make sure that our students experience as little disruption as possible in achieving their learning outcomes during this time. Our campus will remain open and we will continue as we have since the start of the term.
Over the past eight months we have all experienced some monumental changes to our daily lives, and yet despite this, we have shown that we can work through the challenging times. We do this by adapting to the new circumstances in which we find ourselves, looking out for one another and making sensible decisions in following the guidelines.
I know this is incredibly hard. It’s tiring and we’re doing this at a time when we are worried about our loved ones and our own personal circumstances. We are here to support you – and more than ever I do ask that you speak to your line manager if you have concerns you need to raise.
There will be lots of information shared with you next week, which relates to how the University will be operating during the coming weeks. So look out for more emails and website updates as we work through the latest guidance. I have also written to all students today to confirm that the University remains open and for those students living on campus our services will continue to run and our staff will be doing everything they can to help.
There is some solace in remembering that this won’t last forever – and that will help in the weeks ahead. For now, please know that the wellbeing of everyone in our community is our biggest priority and we will be here to support you.
With very best wishes,
Adam Tickell
Vice-Chancellor