The University takes the welfare of its staff, students and visitors very seriously. We have compiled useful guidance on these pages for staff and students who may have concerns about coronavirus.
For national advice and to keep up to date, you can visit the following websites:
Last reviewed: 20 April
A coronavirus is a type of virus. ovel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China. The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
Children are likely to become infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) at roughly the same rate as adults, but the infection is usually mild.
If anyone has any of the symptoms above they should self-isolate at home.
On 23 March, the Prime Minister announced new curbs on movement to limit the spread of the virus allowing people to leave their homes for only ‘very limited purposes’.
The virus is spread in similar ways to the seasonal flu virus and we can take the same, simple, common sense precautions that we would to stop ourselves getting colds and flu:
The University has been monitoring the situation closely and is acting on the advice of the relevant authorities regarding coronavirus. We have contacted all of our staff and students with the latest advice and will continue to provide this support. We have appropriate plans and procedures in place to act rapidly as the situation changes.
Due to the continued spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), the University is declaring a number of Reading Weeks from 8.00am Tuesday 17 March to Friday 3 April. There will be no delivery of teaching during these weeks. Delivery will recommence after Easter and will be online only - there will be no face to face teaching.
Update as of 23 March:
Our halls of residence remain open. Our teaching sites remain open, but only for very specific purposes, and access will be restricted - staff should not come in, unless otherwise advised. Access to our campuses will be highly restricted - students should access services online. Libraries will close with immediate effect. Pooled PCs and other IT facilities will not be available.
For those self-isolating, or for people currently living with someone who is self-isolating, Public Health England provides the following guidance.
We understand that this may be a difficult time for some of our staff and students.
We have set up a new email address to respond to all questions and concerns about Covid-19: covid-19@brookes.ac.uk.
The University’s Wellbeing team have also provided advice on managing your wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak.
The University’s Upgrade team has also provided guidance on studying online during Covid-19.
Oxford Brookes welcomes international students from many different parts of the world and we offer our solidarity to those with family or friends affected. We can all help by remaining calm, following guidance from official authorities and avoiding spreading rumours which could cause distress or confusion. Brookes Union has put together some suggestions for ways to volunteer your time.
In light of the latest 'Stay at Home' Covid-19 guidance, Brookes Print is now running limited operational hours until further notice to fulfill essential printing requirements. Should you have any questions or wish to discuss future print projects, we encourage you to email printservices@brookes.ac.uk with your requirements or to request a call back.
The Post and Stores at Headington is now on limited operational hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11.00am - 1.00pm;Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 11am.
We appreciate that you may still be expecting deliveries for your areas and therefore, would ask that you contact both the supplier and courier to make alternative delivery arrangements. Where necessary, please include the current stores opening hours within the delivery instructions.
In line with government guidelines, we will be limiting the time that our post room staff spend on site. Therefore, we will only process post and parcels that are critical to the University’s current operation. Please see below guidance for further detail.
Further to the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 March, everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus for at least three weeks.
This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions. You can only leave your home:
On 16 March, the University confirmed that a second Oxford Brookes student had tested positive for coronavirus. As Public Health England (PHE) is no longer testing individuals who are managing symptoms of coronavirus at home, the University will not be in a position to communicate regarding further diagnosed student and staff cases. However, we will continue to notify specific individuals where we are advised to do so by PHE, for example where close course mates and flatmates may have been exposed to the virus.