English universities have this week returned to in-person teaching and learning – a dream for many college staff and students in Ireland. Aside from the fact that it has managed to get significantly more vaccine jabs in arms, courtesy of their hasty rollout of the Astrazeneca vaccine, England has also put in place a ream of measures to make universities safer during the summer term.
Here is a breakdown of the guidelines that English universities will have to follow as they reopen.
Testing
The government is encouraging all students coming back to university to get tested, unless they have been infected with the coronavirus in the last 90 days. Upon arrival at university, students are to take three tests, all three to four days apart and either at home or in a university-run facility, in an attempt to reduce the transmission rates of students spreading across the country.
If a lateral flow device test comes back positive, students have to immediately self-isolate and get a PCR test. If that test comes back negative, students can stop self-isolating.
Buildings and Online Learning
Universities can decide what buildings they want to open up again, and how many students should be allowed into them. Online learning, however, will still play a substantial role over the summer term, it seems.
The government guidelines state that for many courses “online teaching and learning works effectively and has a high degree of learner engagement”.
“You should identify the appropriate mix of online and face-to-face content for each subject, reflecting what will maximise learning, as well as supporting staff or students who cannot attend campus, and enabling the whole organisation to minimise transmission risk”, it adds.
Face Masks
Face mask provisions are not particularly strict. The government is telling staff and students to wear them where social distancing and proper ventilation is impossible.
The government guidance states: “Face coverings for students or staff, may be advised for a temporary period in response to particular localised outbreaks, including variants of concern. In all cases, any educational drawbacks should be balanced with the benefits of managing transmission.”
Exemptions are in place for those who cannot wear masks, whether that is for physical or mental reasons, or if wearing a mask would negatively impact your ability to exercise when doing a strenuous activity.
Outbreak Planning
The government is telling universities to keep plans in place to respond to potential outbreaks, including “proportionate options” to restrict in-person teaching and learning. Responses are not rigid: universities are being told to work with the director of public health in their local authority to “control and manage” outbreaks, based on an assessment of the risks.
Risk assessments are considered a responsibility of the universities to keep staff and students safe. Strategies to combat the virus in universities as they reopen will likely evolve as time goes on, and it appears that the onus will lie on universities as to how they best protect their communities.
Reducing Social Contact
The government is still encouraging university goers to reduce social contact, maintain social distance and adopt good hand and respiratory hygiene measures. Higher education providers will also offer staff and students in accommodation and using college facilities two lateral flow device tests weekly.
Where two metres of social distancing is unfeasible, universities can reduce it to one metre, as long as adequate mitigating measures are in place. “Segmentation” – the divvying up of students into networks to protect against wider spread of the virus – has also be mooted as a possible way to slow infection rates.
