COVID-19 Information: CRI Guidelines

Please refer to recent messages from the Vice-Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and your Heads of Department for the latest rules and guidance of working during the current lockdown. The general rules for CRI are as follows:

• Anyone who can work from home effectively should do so
• If it would harm the mental health of an individual to work from home, then permission may be granted to go to workplace
• Similarly, if there are other significant impediments to working from home, then permission may be granted to go to workplace
• Face coverings are MANDATORY in all shared spaces, apart from when eating/drinking - but this should be kept to a minimum. Wash hands frequently, and disinfect shared surfaces
• Physical distancing of at least 2m must be maintained; the 1 m-plus option is no longer allowed

In essence, staff and PhD students are permitted to continue their activities in the workplace but only if essential, and we need to review our procedures to ensure that they are appropriate, particularly in light of the increased transmissibility of the new SARS-CoV2 variant.

• You need to have permission from your line manager / group leader to work in the DAB, and they must inform the Head of Department
• Staggering when you arrive and leave will help reduce contact at the entry points
• Ensure that you sign in, using your administrator to book slots for the following week, and checking the access sheet - with your FULL NAME, CRSID and LOCATION
• Even before Christmas there were very few people in the building, and I think we could accommodate you all in single-occupancy offices rather than in the shared open spaces where risk of infection is higher. Once we know who is planning to come in to work, I hope to make arrangements so that you all have single-occupancy offices.

The DAB has operated very safely since reopening - and has had no cases of transmission in the workplace. We can ensure that this continues if we all take personal responsibility to reduce transmission. The best approach to do this is to assume you may be infected and then to follow the guidance - Hands, Face, Space.