Thank you to all students who have been helping to keep the University and the local community safe by following the campus guidance for Covid safety and applying the hands, face, space and rule of six guidance.
As well as the general advice for all staff and students that we must follow, Government Tier 1 (Medium alert level) requirements are also in force in Lincoln at this time. Students will also be aware of the University Test and Trace service, which has been developed with Lincolnshire Public Health and was launched at the start of the new academic year.
The University Test and Trace service notifies staff and students if they may have come into close contact with someone who has reported symptoms of coronavirus or received a positive test result. Developed with local public health officials, it enables us to respond rapidly to potential cases, using our system of ‘teaching bubbles’ and accommodation bubbles (households) to be precautionary and to limit the spread of the virus. It can be accessed atwww.lincoln.ac.uk/coronavirus.
A detailed overview of Test and Trace processes and FAQs can be found at: https://testandtrace.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/. Below are some important aspects of the system to help explain why the University is operating its own test and trace process, which is complementary to the NHS system.
Points of Contact
Each academic College has its own Point of Contact (POC). The POC will contact any student that has been in a teaching bubble or other situation (e.g. using a learning lounge) and come into close contact with someone showing symptoms or who has received a positive test result. Those affected will receive a text message SMS and email with details of what they are required to do, alongside links to support and other information. A POC system also operates for accommodation bubbles and SU activities. If you are unsure who your POC is, you can find details on the University Test and Trace microsite at the link above.
Teaching Bubbles and Self-isolation
When a student within a teaching bubble reports symptoms we will notify all teaching bubble members so if any one of them is living with or supporting someone who is clinically vulnerable they can take extra precautions until the test outcome is known. If a test result comes back positive all members of the teaching bubble will be informed and asked to self-isolate. This is because while we have a full range of mitigation measures to create a Covid-secure teaching environment, our Public Health professionals assure us that self-isolation for anyone known to have been in close contact with someone with a positive test result is the most secure way to reduce the risk of transmission.
Household Bubbles and Self-isolation
When a student reports symptoms through the University Test and Trace service, they should follow the Government guidance at gov.uk and stay at home, self-isolate and get a test. Members of their household will also need to self-isolate. The University will notify household members of the need to self-isolate by email and SMS text message, but individuals should also inform their housemates if they have symptoms. It is a legal requirement that everyone who lives with someone who has Covid symptoms must self-isolate until either the individual has a negative test or for 14 days if the test is positive. This is an important way to reduce transmission of the virus between households and more widely in the University and local community.
NHS Test and Trace App
While staff and students are encouraged to download the NHS Test and Trace App, because the University is operating its own test and trace system in liaison with Lincolnshire Public Health to supplement the national NHS system, they are advised to toggle off the contact tracing function when on campus. This is because they will be notified of any exposure through the University process, which responds to reported symptoms as well as a positive case, and therefore we can notify our community more quickly and accurately.
Supporting our Community
We are one community at Lincoln, and this challenging period is proving why that community is so important and powerful. Please be kind and look out for one another. The University is providing practical and emotional support for students who have to self-isolate and the details are available here: https://studentservices.lincoln.ac.uk/covid-19-wellbeing-support. This support includes delivery of a free care pack with food supplies for self-isolating students on request via isolatingstudent@lincoln.ac.uk You can also find a video guide to self-isolation for students at www.lincoln.ac.uk/coronavirus or on our YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/L2cYS2xCxg8
We know having to self-isolate can be frustrating. However, we all have a shared responsibility, to protect each other, our families, friends and the wider community. At Lincoln we do support each other and through the difficult global and national crisis we need to continue to be the caring community that we are. Self-isolating helps to control the spread of the virus which we all want to achieve. Most students should be able to continue to engage with their studies online whilst self-isolating and anyone required to self-isolate is asked to contact their personal tutor for academic advice and support or any particular technology or learning needs. Personal support and guidance, so vital at times like this, is also available through Student Services and you can find all of the information about their services at the link above.