An update on arrangements for the Summer Term
Dear Colleagues,
Summer Term arrangements
I am writing to update you on our Summer Term plans for face-to-face teaching and other on campus activity following the most recent UK Government announcement on 13 April. The Government review of further changes to current restrictions will not take place until 17 May, meaning that we cannot allow any additional face-to-face teaching before 17 May at the earliest.
For most staff, your current working arrangements will remain unaltered. However, if you are asked to come back to a campus, this request will be made by your manager, who will be in touch with you to discuss any changes. If you are asked to come back to campus for the first time, please make sure you are familiar with the health and safety requirements for your return.
Staff who remain anxious about campus working may seek assistance from Occupational Health at covid19@essex.ac.uk after discussion with their line manager. I remain ready to assist individuals in discussions with their line managers and I am happy to be contacted directly at smorgan@essex.ac.uk. You can also contact Sara Limerick at sara.limerick@essex.ac.uk. Sara will be Acting Director of People and Culture from 1 May. We want to reiterate that we will remain as flexible as possible in responding to any concerns that staff might have.
COVID secure campus arrangements
We have updated relevant risk assessments taking account of our latest review of the national and local context. For staff on our campuses, I want to reassure you that we continue to have a range of measures to ensure your health and wellbeing and that of our community. We have very well-established systems to risk assess all staff, premises and work activities and to ensure that staff who are vulnerable are able to continue to work from home, as well as providing additional individual and team support. The University will continue to offer testing across our three campuses. We will also continue to offer staff tests which may be booked here.
As at 12 April we have no positive cases on our campuses. A current positive case is defined as an individual who has tested positive for the NHS COVID-19 test and is currently self-Isolating. You can track reported case numbers on our live COVID-19 dashboard.
Facilities
I am pleased to say that in the light of significantly reduced levels of infection the University has changed our level of Protection from Advanced to Enhanced Protection. While we are not yet able to offer a full-scale return to campus, this change in protection level means we can start to bring more life and activity back to our campuses. You can find the latest information about what is open on campus here:
Colleagues who have not been providing face-to-face teaching or coming into work on our campuses may now be considering a return to campus. If you want to return to campus to access research and other facilities during the Summer Term you are welcome to do so. However, you must follow Government and University guidance when making your decision, including guidance on travelling to campus, social distancing, testing and where necessary, self-isolating to protect yourself and our campus community. The health and safety of our students and staff remains central to our thinking. Social distancing, testing and self-isolating where necessary therefore continue to be vital to allow us to ensure that we are closely monitoring and effectively managing levels of infection on our campuses.
Trade Union and Health and Safety representatives
Our campus trade union and health and safety representatives have been informed of these changes and we will continue to work closely with staff representatives as we respond to the shifting pattern of the pandemic.
Once again, I want to thank you all for all your very hard work and continued commitment. As we begin to move out of lockdown, I appreciate that we do not yet know everything about what the future will look like. As we continue to develop our plans for Academic Year 2021-22 and beyond, we will continue to provide updates on the emerging picture.
Yours sincerely,
Susie Morgan
Director of People and Culture