UCL’s response to new Government national restrictions from 5 November 2020

Dear colleagues, I know that many of you will have questions following the Prime Minister's announcement on 31 October, so I wanted to write to you to let you know how we are planning to respond to the Government's decision to impose a second national lockdown, up to 2 December 2020. One of the main differences between this lockdown and the first earlier this year is the intention for schools, colleges and universities to remain open. We are currently seeking more detailed clarification about this government policy to determine what this means for our community and will be writing to you in detail in the next few days. At this point, our intentions are as follows: UCL will remain open, continuing to operate in a COVID-secure way. Our libraries, study spaces, halls of residence and catering facilities will remain open and we are reviewing urgently what further measures we can put in place to support our key worker staff who will be required to keep these facilities open. Our laboratories, including those involved in the national effort, will remain open and researchers will be able to continue their important work onsite. UCL's core teaching is already online, and this will continue so that students can achieve their course learning objectives.