Spring Break Travel Restrictions and Return to Campus Update
Earlier this week the Scottish Government announced their timetable for the easing of current Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
Return to Campus
We are currently discussing with the Scottish Government our ambition to allow increased access after the Spring Break to studios and workshops for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students who are completing their studies this academic year.
Depending on the outcome of these discussions we will increase access to studios from 12th April
Regrettably, the Scottish Government’s timetable makes it highly unlikely that increased access for other students in the earlier stages of their programme will be possible in April or May. We will provide more information as soon as we can on how we will adapt the next academic session to ensure that critical inductions and other workshop activity that hasn’t been possible this year is recovered.
Our revised and enhanced on-campus access introduced from 15th March continues over Spring Break, with the exception of the 2nd and 5th April when the GSA is closed. Enhanced on-campus access info can be found here.
On 2 April the current ‘stay at home’ measures move to ‘stay local’. This means that travel restrictions remain in placerestricting travel to within the local area for essential purposes only until 2 April at the earliest.
Spring Break Travel
Many currently in term-time accommodation may wish to return home for the Spring break. However, ‘Stay Local’ means it is illegal in Scotland to travel away from term-time residences without a reasonable excuse. The restrictions in legislation make it clear that travel without some other factor, such as serious wellbeing or safety reasons, is very unlikely to provide a reasonable excuse. International travel remains restricted and subject to quarantine rules.
Testing and Essential Travel
For the safety of the GSA community and others, people who must travel for essential purposes should take a Covid-19 test before and after any change of household. This means before leaving a test must be booked at the University of Glasgow (the guide on how to book a test on the student intranet can be found here). Students should then test again on arrival at their new household, through a local community testing site where possible. A PCR test should be booked at a local test centre again before returning, and a follow up lateral flow test booked at the University of Glasgow for arrival in Glasgow before returning to term-time accommodation.
No-one should travel back to the GSA if they are showing any symptoms of Covid-19. If at any time students show symptoms of Covid-19 please follow the guidance on NHS Inform and self-isolate – see our information on self-isolation and the support we have in place
More information about safe return to campus is available on the Student Intranet.
Graduate Immigration Route /‘Post Study Work’
For international students currently not in Scotland or the UK and who want to take advantage of the United Kingdom’s Graduate Route and stay in the UK for 2 years post-study, the GSA appreciates that the ongoing travel restrictions are a concern as international travel remains restricted and subject to quarantine rules. However, as communicated last week, the UK Government recently announced an extension to the deadline by which students need to enter the UK in order to use the Graduate Immigration Route after graduation from 6 April to 21 June. Student Support Services are available to all students who have any questions on this or any other issues relating to your mental health, welfare or hardship. Information on how to access Student Support Services and the range of help available can be found on the GSA Student Intranet.
As always, any changes we make to on-campus access are subject to any additional or changing guidance or instruction issued by the Scottish Government either at a national or local level. But we are committed to where we can, increasing the level of on-campus access we can provide and to ensuring that everyone can successfully complete this academic year.