Next week will see the current national COVID-19 restrictions come to an end. It has been confirmed that from 2 December Greater Manchester (GM) will be covered by tier 3 local COVID-19 restrictions, until infections rates fall further.
Although infection rates in GM are falling, they still remain high, and there will remain limitations on activities and gatherings.
- Household mixing will be banned indoors and in most outdoor areas.
- The rule of six will apply in certain public outdoor areas, such as parks.
- Hotels and indoor entertainment venues will be closed.
- Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants will be restricted to takeaway services only.
- Leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes should not go ahead.
We all need to adhere to these restrictions because we owe this to others in our communities, particularly the most vulnerable, to our health and social care providers and our economy.
As already advised, and required by government, on-campus in-person teaching will end on 4 December, with on-line teaching continuing until the Christmas break starts on 18 December. There may be special arrangements for you if you are on a placement
To support you in getting home during the government student travel window (3-9 Dec) we have put in place arranges for you to access free, rapid COVID-19 testing, to start from 28 November.
Many students will not be able to travel home for a variety of reasons. We will do our best to look after those of you who choose to remain in our residences throughout this time. We will be communicating the support which will be in place shortly.
We are awaiting further guidance from Government on how we will restart teaching and plan the return of students in the New Year. As soon as we have more information we will share it with you.
Living through COVID-19 is a challenge, and we have a range of services to support your well-being during this time. Our mental health and wellbeing pages bring together all the services in one place. These services are available throughout the Christmas period.
We very much hope that the local restrictions will continue to reduce the rate of infection across Greater Manchester and enable us to return to more normal activities in the New Year. We also welcome the incredibly promising developments on vaccines which should start to be deployed very quickly.
Professor April McMahon