As you will all be aware, new national restrictions are coming into effect from Thursday 5 November as we enter a four-week lockdown. In response to this, we are introducing new security measures at key entrance points to our campus, accommodation and main pedestrian routes to help keep our students, our staff and our community safe.
Starting today, security presence will be increased in these areas and fencing displaying important COVID-19 health messages will be installed. This fencing is designed to help highlight main entrance areas, where security staff will ensure that only students who live in that accommodation can access safely and help avoid the mixing of households.
These entrance areas and security checks will only be fully operational at night time, and when entering your halls of residence you may be asked to present your Student ID and confirm where your accommodation is. University residents that will be affected by these enhanced security measures will receive an email from the University giving evidence of residence. This can be shown to security to gain access to accommodation. Non-residents will not be permitted entry in line with new Government legislation to prohibit the mixing of households.
These security measures should not impact the services available to you – your bins will still be collected, couriers and food deliveries will still have access and your laundry services and bike shelters are still accessible too. Your fire assembly points also remain unchanged.
When coming to and from your halls, please remember to carry your student ID with you and continue to follow the Government guidelines by avoiding travelling outside of Manchester and not mixing with any other household. While we understand that some of you may want to be back with your family during this difficult time, moving to another home would risk breaking the law and therefore, we strongly encourage you to limit movement around the country to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. We very much hope that you will be able to return to your families for the Christmas break, and are anticipating further Government guidance on this over the coming weeks.
Also, if you are celebrating Bonfire Night at home tonight, please stay safe and refrain from setting fireworks off anywhere on campus to ensure the safety of yourselves and others.
We understand these are challenging times, and we are extremely grateful to all of you who are following the guidelines and making adjustments to your lives to help keep our community safe. Remember that we are here to support you at all times. You can contact your ResLife team for assistance and advice, and out of working hours your Duty ResLife Advisor can also be contacted for any emergencies. For Covid-19 self-isolation enquiries please email coronavirus-isolation-support@manchester.ac.uk.