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Student Update: Latest Covid-19 government announcement on Wednesday, 8 December

08/12/2021
Student Update: Latest Covid-19 government announcement on Wednesday, 8 December

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

Communication sent by email to all students on Wednesday, 8 December 2021. 

This evening (Wednesday, 8 December 2021), the Prime Minister announced that England will be moving to further Plan B measures due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. This included new guidance for working from home, face-coverings and the introduction of vaccine passports for large events.  

This update provides information on what the Government announcements mean for students. We are awaiting more detailed guidance for universities and will keep you up to date with any further developments. We continue to work closely with our local health protection teams, communicating with them daily to review our control measures.
 
At present, our understanding is that universities will continue to deliver face to face teaching without any social distancing requirements and that we will continue to keep all resources such as libraries, catering outlets and student support services open.
 
Therefore, all teaching activities will continue as timetabled, and facilities such as the Arena Theatre, gyms and catering outlets will remain open. 
 
The University’s Health and Safety team is currently looking at how the introduction of vaccine passports will impact any upcoming events.  
 
Face-coverings will become compulsory in most public indoor venues other than hospitality. We are awaiting further guidance on what this means for education settings.  
 
At present, we ask all students, staff, and visitors who are not exempt to wear a face-covering when on campus.  
 
This includes: 
  • Communal areas, e.g. libraries, corridors, stairwell and catering outlets 
  • Teaching settings, e.g. labs, workshops, classrooms and lecture theatres. 
  • Office spaces, e.g. shared offices, Faculty Student Services and lecturer offices. 
You should wear a face-covering when you are moving around these areas. When you are seated, and there is plenty of space around you, for example, in a classroom, you may wish to remove your face covering, if preferred. Face coverings are mandatory on all forms of public transport, including the University campus buses.
 
As ever, your safety and wellbeing are our top priority, and we recognise that with the changing guidance, this is a tough time for everyone. We appreciate everything you are continuing to do to protect our community, and support remains available.

Support for students

I understand that further Covid-19 restrictions will be difficult after everything you have already been through during your time at university. If you are struggling and need help now, there are resources on our mental health and wellbeing webpages. 
 
Otherwise, your Faculty Student Services should be the first point of call to access help and advice, and the easiest way to contact them is by the e:Vision helpdesk.   
 
All students can access online mental health and wellbeing support 24/7 through Togetherall – an online community monitored by trained professionals. If you need advice or extra help, please check our self-help resources webpage or complete the mental health and wellbeing support registration form.     
 
Please remember that if you are struggling financially, hardship funding is available.
Find out more about the student support services available to you here: www.wlv.ac.uk/support.

Stay up to date with the latest information

Please keep checking your University WLV emails and reading these updates. We are committed to keeping students up to date. We do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the University student news webpage.     
 
Visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpages for information on how you can stay safe and help protect our University community during the pandemic.    
 
Thank you, and stay safe.
 
Professor Julia Clarke
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
 
 
 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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