Staying safe

We're excited to welcome you to Manchester this autumn and our top priority is keeping everyone as safe as possible.

We're sure many of you will be feeling anxious about travelling and coming to university this year, but we're following the advice from Universities UK, Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to make sure our campus is a safe and happy environment for you to start your studies.

Please familiarise yourself with the guidelines below before coming to Manchester to protect yourself, friends, family and vulnerable members of the community.

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Register with a GP (doctor) when you know your Manchester address

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.

Plan your journey to campus in advance

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.

Download the NHS COVID-19 app

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.

Use designated entry doors and clean your hands once inside

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.

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.

Wear a face covering and keep 2 metres apart from others

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 teaching 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.

Arrive and leave at the right time

There will be 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.

Leaving and arriving on time will allow us to carry out more frequent cleaning of our rooms and buildings.

Go directly to your room, following signs and floor markings

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.

Book study spaces in advance and clean shared equipment

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.

Follow University Halls of Residence guidance if you live in one

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.

Protect our community: adhere to local restrictions in place in Manchester

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.

What to do if you have concerns

It's important for everyone to follow these guidelines to keep themselves and others safe. We have faith that all members of our University community will do the right thing. You can politely remind people of the guidelines if they aren’t following them. If you still have concerns, you can report these to our COVID-19 team via covid-info@manchester.ac.uk.

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

What to do if you, or someone you live with, has COVID-19 symptoms

You should follow the instructions below if:

  • you have any COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste);
  • you've tested positive for COVID-19 (this means you have coronavirus);
  • you live with someone who has symptoms or has tested positive;
  • someone in your support bubble has symptoms or has tested positive;
  • you're told by NHS Test and Trace that you've been in contact with a person with COVID-19.

Start to self-isolate

Self-isolation is when you do not leave your accommodation because you have or might have COVID-19.  

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.

Tell us you have started to self-isolate

Contact your School’s support team to let them know that you have started to self-isolate.

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:

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

Request a COVID-19 test

You must request a test to check if you currently have COVID-19. 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.

Visit the NHS website to find out more about COVID-19 testing, including requesting a test.

If you test negative for COVID-19, check if you can stop self-isolating

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.

If you test positive, let us know and continue to self-isolate

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:

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.

University support is always available

Whether you are self-isolating as a precaution or because you have tested positive for COVID-19, we are here to support you:

  • if you live in a University hall of residence, we will ensure you have a buddy in place to assist with day-to-day activities such as food shopping and our ResLife teams will stay in touch with you over the phone;
  • your academic School can help you if you become ill and this impacts your studies.

Being a good neighbour

Find out more about how you can protect yourself and the local community by being a good neighbour and adhering to local restrictions in place in Manchester.

Read more

Personal safety

Visit the student support microsite for more information on personal safety and a list of resources to ensure your time in Manchester is as safe as possible.

Visit Student Support site