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Dear all,

As we come to the end of this period of national restrictions, many of you will be aware that on Wednesday 2 December, London will be placed in Tier 2 (High alert) of the government's new regional approach to restrictions which aim to ensure there is no further growth in Covid-19 infections.  

Tier 2 is the middle tier of the new system of restrictions. Within this new system, in England, universities will remain open, regardless of what Tier is in force in any specific region. At St George’s, our current approach to teaching and learning, including online provision alongside essential onsite, hands-on teaching, will continue.

Staff should continue following current guidance and advice on working arrangements which are already in place.  

More details can be found on the coronavirus advice hub on our webpages, including information on your responsibilities and the steps the University has taken to manage the risks of Covid-19 on site.

Looking ahead to a return to site in 2021 – for students  

Already, our thoughts are turning to next year and how the University might function in the first two quarters of 2021. We are currently awaiting guidance from the government concerning arrangements which the University may need to put in place when students return to their studies next term. We will keep you all updated. 

Professor Jane Saffell, Deputy Principal (Education), has already outlined what our approach to teaching and learning might look like – you can recap on our proposed approach here.  

Looking ahead to a return to site in 2021 – for staff  

As the Principal outlined during the briefing and Q&A earlier today, St George’s remains in Phase 3 of the University's four phase return to site project

We anticipate that the ways of working associated with this phase, including all formal committee meetings taking place online, will continue until Easter 2021. Any work that can be done at home, should continue to be done at home (unless you are providing essential services or carrying out research onsite). As the situation develops, we will of course keep this under review and continue to align to government guidance.

At the same time, we will be exploring what Phase 4 might look like. This will include considering how some of the positive developments in ways of working could be continued in the future.  

A reminder of what to do if you feel unwell

If you have had a positive coronavirus test or are self-isolating, you must contact your line manager and Human Resources at hrhelp@sgul.ac.uk and provide details of dates and locations of any time you have spent on site. For more details please see the report a case webpage.

Having all endured several weeks of national restrictions, and with further regional restrictions to come, it remains a challenging time for everyone. If you need emotional support and you would like to talk confidentially to someone, the Counselling Service is continuing to run sessions remotely and can be contacted via email or on 020 8725 3625.

Thank you all for your contributions to St George’s at such a busy and challenging time. I am proud to be part of a community that continues to demonstrate such commitment, resilience and innovation.

Best wishes,

Paul Ratcliffe

Chief Operating Officer

St George’s, University of London

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