From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

I hope you are well, and looking forward to a well-deserved rest over the festive period once term finishes on 18 December 2020.

Some of you may have seen the Government’s latest announcement that places both Canterbury and Medway regions in the Tier 3 Covid restriction category. This means that when the national lockdown ends on 2 December, Tier 3 rules will come into force and will remain in place at least until the tier structure is reviewed on 11 December 2020.

A Covid-19 Tier 3 area is classed as very high risk. Please ensure you abide by the following regulations applying to our region:

• No household mixing indoors or in private gardens – please do not socialise with those you do not live with. This means no visitors to your student accommodation.
• The ‘rule of 6’ applies when meeting others outdoors in public areas such as parks. You can meet in a group of up to six people you do not live with, providing you abide by social distancing.
• The Government is advising against travelling in and out of the area in which you live. Please be aware, however, that the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020) still applies. You can travel from your term-time to permanent address for the Winter vacation period. However, please do not make other non-essential journeys.

We are waiting for specific guidance from the Department for Education concerning how the new Tier structure will affect universities and will share this with you as soon as we can. For now, please continue to engage with all your teaching arrangements as you have been doing. We are committed to keeping as many campus services and provisions open as we can whilst we are in Tier 3.

I understand what a challenging term this has been for you all and appreciate the sacrifices you have had to make. With the end of term fast approaching, it is vital that we all work together to keep our community safe. Do please follow the Government guidelines set out above and ensure you follow Hands, Face, Space guidance.

• Hands – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds
• Face – wear a face covering
• Space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible.

I know many of you are planning to travel home during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020). If you do not have Covid-19 symptoms, i.e., are asymptomatic, and would like to be tested before you leave, this provision is available at both Canterbury and Medway campuses.

When planning for your journey home, please ensure you review our Christmas vacation and travel advice and pre-book any tickets you need.

Lastly, I would like to remind you that although face-to-face teaching will stop by 4 December 2020, your teaching will continue online until term ends on 18 December 2020. You should continue to engage with all your teaching sessions to ensure you get the most from your studies this term.