From Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor and President.

I am writing to update you following the Government announcement that a four-week national lockdown is due to come into force on Thursday 5 November.

The Prime Minister’s speech made it clear that, given the importance of education, universities would remain open during this time. Here at Kent, we remain committed to providing you with the best possible education and student experience which is in line with Government guidelines for the lockdown period.

We will continue to offer a mix of online and on-campus teaching/supervision in a Covid-safe environment. All our on-campus accommodation will remain open as will the libraries and study spaces. Our catering outlets will also remain open, but they will need to move to a take-away service.

The new Government guidelines also provides guidance on travel for students living at university either on campus or in private accommodation off campus. This states that you should not move back and forward between your permanent and student home during term time.

The number of active cases of Covid-19 remain low on our campuses, and we also have a local testing sites at both Canterbury and Medway. We continue to work closely with our local public health officials and a huge amount of effort have been put in to ensure that our campuses are Covid-safe. The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remain our key priority.

We know this is a worrying time, but the University and the students’ unions are here to support you. We offer a range of services for our students including wellbeing and support, finance, online learning, IT, housing, accommodation, and immigration.

We are currently waiting for further information from the Government and will write to you again as soon as we have more details.

In the meantime, please continue with your current patterns of teaching and research.

With my very best wishes to you and your family,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President