Dear Colleagues and Students,
The University’s Council has taken the decision that the University should move back into the ‘Enhanced Protection’ level of our response to COVID-19 from today (Monday 13 July).
We have set out what this means on our website in our University Business Continuity Plan. The University’s Business Continuity plan sets out four different levels of protection – Advanced (the most stringent), Enhanced, Sustained and Targeted.
As a consequence of moving to ‘Enhanced Protection’ we will begin the process of bringing more activities into on-campus operation in a carefully planned and phased way. Access to campus will still be very limited. Staff and students who have a specific need to come onto campus will be able to do so, with approval, as part of a phased return plan. Everyone else – and those who can – should continue to work and study from home, until we move into Sustained Protection, which will not be before 7 September at the earliest. Any University staff who are unsure about how they should be working during this period of ‘Enhanced Protection’, should contact their line manager. The approaches we have developed allow us to start a careful and phased return to more on-campus work and study and to plan for the new academic year.
Our ‘How to come onto our campuses’ pages for staff and for students have been updated to share this information with you so that you can see how we are planning to keep you safe and what will be expected of you. I would ask all staff and students to read the contents of these webpages carefully. Please do continue to review them, as they will be updated to reflect changing government requirements and scientific advice.
We will share detailed communications as and when further changes happen. If you have any questions, please contact covid19@essex.ac.uk.
Bryn Morris
Registrar and Secretary
