Welsh Government guidance after Christmas

Read a message from Claire Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students sent on 18 December.

Dear Student

In my Christmas message I promised to keep you updated on any changes to Welsh Government guidance.

On Wednesday it was announced that Wales will be placed under “alert level four” restrictions from Monday 28 December (no end date has yet been given). Please note this does not change your access to education or support services – we will continue with our blended learning approach. 

If you are remaining in Cardiff over this period, please familiarise yourself with the new measures before they start coming into force from Christmas Eve.

Our existing guidance for January supports these new Welsh Government measures, so remember:

• If travelling for Christmas/New Year, you should plan to return to Cardiff just before your in-person teaching resumes. Although the Welsh Government guidance states to not come back until 11 January, if your course starts earlier than that, or you need to access services such as our libraries, you can return sooner.
   
• We strongly advise that you book into our screening service for your return from Monday 4 January. Please note while the Welsh Government refers to ‘lateral flow tests’ all our students have access to our own, in-house tests – this is different, and only needs to be taken once. Over 10,000 of you have so far booked to use the service for Christmas travel or returning in January.
   
• Having received a test upon your return, you will be asked to ‘lay low’ until you receive your result – this includes continuing to stay out of one another’s homes, minimising the people you meet, maintaining social distancing and regular handwashing. You can still attend on-campus teaching or a placement during this period.
   
• Finally – Welsh Government guidance is clear – you should not attend New Year’s Eve parties with people you do not live with.

The new restrictions also mean people in Wales should only leave their home for essential reasons, and that non-essential businesses will be closed for this period. We can confirm however that you are able to return to Cardiff (if you leave) to continue your studies as this is a reasonable excuse to travel. 

All our advice on coming back in January is here, and details on the new alert levels Wales will introduce are here. 

I do hope you all manage to have a good break, and please do stay safe.

Best wishes

Claire Morgan
Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students