Staying safe

It has never been more important for all students to register with a GP. In the UK the term we use most often to describe a local or family doctor is 'General Practitioner', which we shortern to 'GP'. Registering gives you access to a range of medical services, including tests for COVID-19. 

As soon as you know your Manchester address, register with a local GP, preferably before you travel to Manchester.

• You can find your nearest GP surgery and complete registration online.
• We have some helpful advice on registering with a GP and UK healthcare.

Walk or cycle to campus if you can. Support and training is available if you want to start cycling, from both our University and Transport for Greater Manchester.

If you need to take public transport, wear a face covering and try to maintain social distancing.

• Within Manchester, the Stagecoach/Magic Bus app can help you plan your journey via bus. It shows you the live location of buses, as well as how busy they are.

We are requiring everyone on campus to download the NHS COVID-19 app.

The app is completely anonymous and has a number of tools to help protect people including contact tracing, local area alerts, a symptom checker and test booking.

• Read more about using the app on My Manchester News.

Our buildings have specific entry and exit doors. Check the signs to make sure you're using the right doors when you arrive and leave. We also ask that you look our for our QR code check in points and complete check-in through the NHS Covid-19 app. 

Once inside, use the hand sanitiser provided, or wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. You should then sanitise or wash your hands regularly as you move around.

We'll provide you with two free, washable face coverings. You should wear a face covering inside our buildings in public areas where other people are present, including libraries teaching rooms and study spaces. 

Follow UK government guidance on how to wear a face covering and how to keep face coverings maintained.

Face coverings don't replace social distancing. Always maintain a 2 metre distance from others on campus, even if you are with others from your own household. A household means the people you live with - this means anyone you share a bathroom and/or a kitchen with, whether this is in halls of residence or private accommodation.

Many of our spaces have been set up with seating at a 2m distance. Please make sure you do not move chairs around in our libraries or teaching spaces, and ensure that you are 2m distance from others.  

We have now increased the level of online learning for most programmes and will retain in-person provision for some courses which, for example, include clinical and medical and some laboratory-based teaching*. For any in-person teaching there will be at least a 15 minute timetabling gap for our teaching spaces, to allow you to arrive and leave safely. Please only arrive for your class five minutes before the start time, to allow the previous class to leave.

*This change will be in place until 30 October 2020, but will be reviewed on 23 October.

To help maintain social distancing, it's important that you head straight for your room, following signs and floor markings and using the stairwells. Lifts are reserved for those that need them most and will have much reduced capacity.

Avoid touching high-contact surfaces such as door hands and lift buttons if you can.

Study spaces are available but must be booked in advance which can be done on the Library site. Please read the Library’s health and safety guidance. 

Sanitise any shared equipment using the wipes provided both before and after use.

Specific guidelines have been developed for University Halls, to protect residents and staff. If you live in a University Hall of Residence you must familiarise yourself with the guidance for accommodation and also read our self-isolation guidance for students.

If you have any concerns, questions or require additional support when self-isolating in halls, please email coronavirus-isolation-support@manchester.ac.uk

Remember that when you're off campus or in Halls, you're still a representative for our University. The local area is a mixture of a diverse range of people, some of whom may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.

It's vital that we each make a commitment to protect the health and safety of the wider community. This means that you need to take direct and deliberate actions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

You should follow UK government guidance at all times, including restrictions currently in place in Greater Manchester on socialising. Due to these restrictions, you may only mix indoors with others from your own household. A household means the people you live with - this means anyone you share a bathroom and/or a kitchen with, whether this is in halls of residence or private accommodation.

You cannot meet other individuals that are not part of your household, either inside your accommodation or within the grounds of their accommodation.

Breaches of COVID-19 guidelines may be subject to University disciplinary action.

• Find out more about how to be a good neighbour and protect the local community.

Self-isolation is when you do not leave your accommodation because you have or might have COVID-19. Please remember to always follow the NHS guidance on when to self-isolate and what to do, paying special attention to the advice on how long to self-isolate for.

We can offer you support while you are self-isolating. You are not alone. Our self-isolation guidance for students webpage will have our most up-to-date information and support available to those students who are required to self-isolate. We will regularly update this advice in line with national and local guidance. 

We have simplified our process for you to tell us if you are self-isolating and you can now do this directly via an eForm. We will tell your School if you have submitted a report but if you would like to discuss your teaching and learning circumstances, including mitigating circumstances please speak to them directly.

Once you have filled in the form it will also help to ensure that our support services are available to support you. 

If you live in University halls of residence, please also contact your ResLife team to let them know and we can put the right support in place for you:

• Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, please email reslife-admin@manchester.ac.uk; 
• out of hours (Monday to Friday, 6pm to 8am and weekends), please call your Duty ResLife Advisor.

You should consider telling a member of your family or a friend that you are self-isolating, so that they can offer additional support.

If you have symptoms, book a test through the NHS COVID-19 app, or via the NHS website. You must put in your term time address, not your home address when filling in your details. You can choose to take the test at a local test site and receive the results the next day or have a test kit delivered to you.

A walk-in test site will be opening adjacent to our campus on Oxford Road.

You can stop self-isolating as long as:

• everyone you live with who has symptoms tests negative;
• everyone in your support bubble who has symptoms tests negative;
• you were not told to self-isolate for 14 days by NHS Test and Trace – if you were, find out what to do if you've been told you've been in contact with someone who has COVID-19;
• you feel well and have no symptoms.

If you have diarrhoea or you’re being sick, stay at home for at least 48 hours after they've stopped.

You must let us know if you have tested positive for COVID-19 so that we can support you, and others you may have been in contact with.

Here are the steps you should follow if you receive a positive result:

• self-isolate immediately (follow the NHS guidance on when to self-isolate and what to do, paying special attention to the advice on how long to self-isolate for);
• if you need medical advice about your symptoms, check the NHS 111 online coronavirus service;
• if you start to feel very unwell or in case of a medical emergency, call 999;
• notifty the University by completing our eForm.
• if you live in University halls of residence, please also contact your ResLife team to let them know and we can put the right support in place for you: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, please email reslife-admin@manchester.ac.uk. Out of hours (Monday to Friday, 6pm to 8am and weekends), please call your Duty ResLife Advisor.

We would also advise informing your family member or emergency contact if you test positive for COVID-19, so that they can offer additional support.

We will absolutely do everything we can to support you during this period. If you have a question about this period of self-isolation, you can contact our dedicated self-isolation team via email: coronavirus-isolation-support@manchester.ac.uk.

If you live in University halls of residence, please also contact your ResLife team to let them know and we can put the right support in place for you: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, please email reslife-admin@manchester.ac.uk. Out of hours (Monday to Friday, 6pm to 8am and weekends), please call your Duty ResLife Advisor.

For academic support, please contact your School who will be in touch to provide information on completing your studies online while you self-isolate.Where remote learning is not possible for a particular class, your School will advise as to how you may participate in this, perhaps at a future date. If you are unable to study at all for a period then you may be advised to submit an application for mitigating circumstances. You will also be able to continue to access the Library’s services, online. 

Further information:

• Latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus
• Self-isolation guidance for students
• University of Manchester student news