Latest Information – Monday 21st March 2022
You are no longer legally required to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19. Stay at home if you can and avoid contact with other people.
You will not have to take daily tests or be legally required to self-isolate following contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Staff and students in most education and childcare settings no longer need to test twice a week
On 21 February, The Government published its plan for living with COVID-19 which outlines its plan for the way forward, in summary:
Going forward
There are a range of possible futures for the course of the pandemic.
All scenarios assume that a more stable position will eventually be reached over several years. In the ‘reasonable best case’ there may be a comparatively small resurgence in infections during autumn/winter 2022-23, and in the ‘reasonable worst case’ a very large wave of infections with increased levels of severe disease. The ‘optimistic central’ and ‘pessimistic central’ scenarios are considered the most likely.
The emergence of new variants will be a significant factor in determining the future path of the virus. New variants of COVID-19 will continue to emerge. The pathway to greater stability will also be affected by the use of vaccination and available treatments.
Vaccines underpin all of the principles and form the basis of the Government’s strategy for living with COVID-19. Effective vaccines have allowed the economy and society to reopen and the country’s ability to live with the virus in the future will continue to depend on deeper and broader population immunity conferred by vaccines and infections.
College Life
At the College, whilst we respect an individual’s prerogative to choose, we will continue to work with the NHS to provide easy opportunities for staff and students to have their vaccination and boosters.
We encourage you to continue testing using LFTs particularly if you have been in close contact with a positive case. We will continue to supply test kits from reception and repro shop until our stocks run out.
We should all continue with the control measures in place, namely:
- Ensure good hygiene for everyone – be especially careful with your hand and respiratory hygiene
- Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.
- Keep occupied spaces well ventilated – continue to wear layers whilst the weather is chilly.
- If you have a cold, consider wearing a face mask in crowded areas to protect others.
