This article was published in September 2020 - for up-to-date information on Covid-Safe arrangements, please see our Being Covid-Safe pages.
This article - and the short animation below - sets out the changes we are making to our campuses and the guidance you must follow.
Please wear a face covering in our buildings and on university buses
In line with our Covid-Safe Charter, you may face disciplinary action from the university if you do not wear face coverings when required to do so. This may put your place on your course at risk.
Face coverings are required except where you are the only person in the room or when you are working at a workstation which is at least 2m away from other workstations.
You will also need to wear a face covering while queueing for university buses where social distancing is not possible. The university will provide staff and students with two washable face coverings each. These will be distributed by our faculty and welcome teams.
*If you are exempt from wearing a face covering we recommend you use the government face covering exemption badge.
Please maintain social distancing
In line with government guidance, please do not form groups of more than 6 people outside teaching spaces. Staff may ask you to separate from each other if they see this happening on our campuses.
Where we are able to follow the 2 metre guidance we will do this, this includes our catering spaces. In other areas where this is not possible, for example teaching spaces and some offices, we will follow the 1 metre+ guidance which means that there will be additional safety measures in place.
We will have some Student Ambassadors on each campus to encourage and guide us to follow social distance guidelines. They will also help us ensure that large groups and bottlenecks do not occur.
Please use the sanitising points at the entry points to buildings
There will be hand sanitising points at the entry points to our buildings, and everyone should use these. We will ensure these are kept replenished and available.
We will also provide sanitiser and cleaning materials so that students can wipe their work area on arrival in teaching spaces and Open Access IT labs.
Please wash your hands regularly
Sanitising hands supports regular hand washing as a Covid control measure so please also follow the current guidance on hand washing.
Please follow the one way systems
Where corridors are restrictive we are implementing one way systems, please follow the signs which will direct you. Where corridors are wide enough there will be a two-way flow, and directions will be marked on the floor. This will mean that we will have more entry and exit points to our buildings, and therefore you can expect to see more security staff on campus.
Together we can all keep everyone safe.
Other changes we are making
Teaching spaces
Our teaching spaces will be socially distanced and this means there will be reduced capacity. The maximum occupancy numbers for each space will be shown on the door. In most cases, our teaching spaces will also have markings on the floor to indicate the safe room layouts. Please don't move the furniture.
We are asking teaching staff to wear visors and stand 2 metres back from students while teaching.
We are asking students to clean their work area on arrival in the teaching spaces, and we will provide sanitiser and materials to do this. While we are increasing our cleaning on campus, cleaning a work area on use provides an extra level of confidence and safety for people using the space. Asking everyone to clean their space on arrival will help to keep us all safe.
Open Access IT labs
These will continue to be available, though with reduced capacity because of social distancing. We will provide sanitiser and materials so that individuals can wipe down their work area on arrival. We will also ensure these areas are cleaned regularly.
Screens in reception areas, cafes and the Medway coaches
We are installing screens in our building reception areas, student services help desks and libraries and in the till area of our catering outlets. The Medway coaches will also be fitted with screens.
Ventilation
We have modified our ventilation systems so they don't recirculate air. We are also looking at increasing ventilation, by opening windows, in buildings where this is possible and on buses.
Cleaning on campus
We are increasing our cleaning provision on campus and our priority is high touch points such as hand rails, door handles and communal areas.
Test and Trace
We will record details of people visiting our libraries and catering facilities in line with government guidance. Further information will follow.
Reporting issues
We need our whole university community to work with us to help us keep us and our spaces safe. If you spot something that needs attention please report this to our Facilities help desk or use the 'Report Something' in the SafeZone app.
We're here to help and support you
We are encouraging all of our students to join us on campus from September 2020 because we want you to make the most of the whole student experience. But we also recognise that some students may need support because of their increased vulnerability to Covid-19. This tool allows you to self-assess your Covid-19 vulnerability.
If you have any concerns or would like to access support, the university's support services are available for you to use. The details of the Student Wellbeing Service and the Students' Union Advice Service can be found on our website.
