COVID-19 College Code of Conduct

Code of conduct for Junior Members of Magdalene College during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last revised: 06/01/2022

Introduction

COVID-19 (the disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus) is a highly contagious disease spread by aerosol/droplet contact. The Magdalene community as a whole has a social responsibility for the health and wellbeing of everyone within the College as well as others and the functioning of the College as a whole. The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to provide guidance to members of the College in respect of what is expected of them to minimise the risk of COVID-19.

The College recognises that this must be an incredibly difficult time to be a student at University. Restrictions have negatively impacted just about every aspect of the academic and social life that is at the core of the University experience.

The College has eased restrictions in line with the relaxation of Government policy, subject to any constraints imposed by the wider University. It is the intention of the University to move back to face-to-face teaching. Please note, however, that the College (and University) nevertheless retains a legal responsibility to risk assess all activities. Therefore there may be circumstances where some additional restrictions are necessary. This will be proportionate and kept to a minimum in accordance with any risk assessment (for example, it may be necessary to reduce the total numbers present at dinners to prevent overcrowding, require masks or negative lateral flow tests or implement social distancing for specific events and activities to be safe).

Whilst most cases of COVID-19 get better without treatment or long-term harm, it is highly contagious and severe infections can be life-threatening. It is also likely that a number of College members, including students, may be more vulnerable to severe illness (for example as a result of pre-existing medical conditions). It is also emerging that COVID-19 can have long-term and sometimes quite debilitating effects on the young too.

The pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of life globally. In the face of this unprecedented situation, the College aims to try to minimise disruption and facilitate activities as far as possible subject to the following overarching principles:

●     Protecting individual health and wellbeing
●     Protecting the health and wellbeing of others
●     Protecting the Cambridge University community / protecting Cambridge as a city
● Providing a safe environment for work and for study

The College has set up a COVID-19 Committee to oversee all aspects of health and wellbeing policy related to the pandemic. The College COVID-19 Officer, a member of the COVID-19 Committee, will provide a point of contact for advice and guidance in relation to College policy and individual behaviour as well as ensuring that all College members behave in a way that promotes safety. The COVID-19 Officer may be contacted at this email address: covid-19@magd.cam.ac.uk

The COVID-19 situation is likely to be dynamic and unpredictable with many factors potentially changing over time (including the occurrence of further outbreaks or waves, and changes in University or local/national government public health policy). For this reason, the College COVID-19 Code of Conduct which follows will be a ‘living document’ under continuous review by the College COVID-19 Committee. All College members must keep themselves up-to-date with changes as they occur.

Information from the University on staying safe during the pandemic is available at www.cam.ac.uk/coronavirus/stay-safe-cambridge-uni. An overarching principle is that students must comply with government recommendations. This document provides additional information as well as College-specific guidance, clarification and instructions as to what is additionally expected by the College.

University policy on face coverings was changed in December 2021 in response to the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant (‘omicron’) in response to national public health guidance. Even if milder, this variant is far more transmissible and may evade previous vaccination. As a result, infection rates are currently extremely high and therefore absolute numbers of serious or life-threatening cases are nevertheless substantial nationally. All College members are strongly encouraged to get a booster vaccination if at all possible. It is conceivable that a booster will become a prerequisite for a vaccination ‘pass’ in the future. It is foreseeable that University and government advice could change further and the College will need to respond to/remain in line with this. Unfortunately, travel/self-isolation restrictions have been imposed nationally and internationally: these vary around the world and could change as more is known about this variant. International students in particular are advised to keep a close eye on national and international developments.

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was declared the cause of a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020. Since this date, the virus has spread to almost every country worldwide, and infected millions of people. Information about the number of coronavirus tests, cases and deaths in the UK is updated daily by the government (www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public).

The main symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection include:

·     a high temperature
·     a new continuous cough
·     a loss or change in the sense of taste or smell (anosmia).

However, a range of non-specific symptoms can also occur such as fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain) and diarrhoea. Severity of disease varies widely between individuals, with reports of life-threatening disease occurring in all age groups and the long term effects of virus infection not yet fully known. It is also important to be aware that asymptomatic infections are relatively frequent. Therefore, individuals may be unaware that they are infectious.

SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly transmitted by contact with respiratory secretions from infected individuals. Respiratory secretions are released when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. These infectious droplets can then cause infection if they reach the mouth, nose or eyes of a susceptible person. Infection may occur through:

●     Direct person-to-person contact - i.e. an infectious person breathes droplets on you or you pick them up through physical contact with them.
●     Contact with contaminated surfaces - i.e by touching a surface contaminated with the virus and then touching your nose, eyes or mouth.
●     Aerosol transmission - i.e. by breathing in fine droplets of liquid containing virus that have been breathed out by an infectious individual (these may remain in the air for a substantial period of time especially in poorly ventilated, enclosed spaces).

It is currently unknown to what extent people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune or how long such immunity lasts- in other words we do not know to what extent it is possible to get COVID-19 more than once.

Handwashing and hygiene

As with all infectious diseases through history, handwashing and hygiene are the mainstay of limiting outbreaks. You should wash your hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water is perfectly adequate. When this is not practical, using hand gel with at least 70% alcohol is an alternative. In particular you should clean your hands when:

Entering buildings, including your room,
Before / after handling face coverings,
After you blow your nose or cough or sneeze on your hands,
Before handling/eating food and after coming into contact with surfaces, particularly in communal areas.

Further information on washing your hands effectively is available at Stay Safe Cambridge Uni - Regularly clean your hands.

Since the virus may survive on hard surfaces for some time, you should clean surfaces regularly, particularly if they have been used by others.

Face coverings and moving around in College / University buildings

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus is spread by contact with droplets or aerosol (see ‘Background’ section), transmission is more likely when you are in close contact with others:

To remain in line with the changes in policy imposed by the University on 29th November 2021 in response to the emergence of a new ‘omicron variant’ virus (www.cam.ac.uk/coronavirus/news/message-to-students-and-staff-about-covid-19) all students, staff, Fellows and visitors are expected to wear a face-covering in all indoor shared spaces (except student accommodation households and when eating/drinking or if they are medically exempt from wearing such a covering). This includes the College Library, Ramsay servery, Porters’ Lodge and when visiting College offices.
You must observe social distancing subject to local risk assessments as described in current government advice. Policy for face-to-face supervisions at Magdalene will initially remain at 2m social distancing. 1m+ social distancing applies in other indoor facilities.
You must observe all relevant signs and social distance markings around College in relation to COVID.

Suitable face coverings should cover your nose and mouth, fit securely against the side of the face and be secured with ties or ear-loops. Fabric face coverings should ideally consist of at least two and preferably three layers. Disposable surgical masks are a highly effective alternative. You may have seen healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients using respirator masks - this is not necessary in the community. You should not use scarves / bandanas or similar items as face coverings: there is evidence to suggest that these make aerosol generation worse rather than better. Visors are not believed to be as effective and must not be considered to be an alternative to face coverings.

You must wash and dry reusable fabric face coverings (in the same way as usual laundry, in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions) regularly. Disposable face coverings should be disposed of as household waste (not recycling). You should wash (or alcohol gel) your hands before putting on or after taking off a face covering. You should change your face covering if it becomes damp.

You should regard your face covering as contaminated and avoid touching it as much as possible (it is best to handle it by the straps). The neck is an area which is commonly contaminated with virus- therefore you should not wear your face covering over your neck.

Asymptomatic testing

All eligible College members are strongly encouraged to participate in the University asymptomatic testing programme unless they are currently self-isolating. This allows outbreaks to be identified before they get out of control, ultimately limiting the effect on the wider College, University and local community.

Social gatherings

You must adhere to any Government or University coronavirus restrictions as well as other specific restrictions that may be imposed by the College (this document). You can find the most up to date information on what you can and cannot do on the Government website.

Planned events including College dinners must be carefully risk assessed by the College before being permitted. Further permission from the Local Authorities / Public Health England may also be necessary under the current circumstances. It may be necessary for certain events to be relocated outside and/or for those attending to provide evidence of negative COVID status (e.g. using a lateral flow test) in order to be run safely. This will be regularly reviewed given the rapidly changing situation at present.

Households

If you share facilities such as a kitchen/gyp room, bathroom, shower or toilet with others in College then you must consider that group to be a ‘household’ for the purposes of interpreting government, University and College advice. The ‘student household’ is the fundamental unit for living in. Typically it means all those people who share the same high-contact facilities in their living area (bathroom, shower, toilet, kitchen/gyp room).

Every student room in College has been allocated to a household (sometimes this is called a zone). A household or zone may range from a 1 student household to 12 students in a household. In general, a household is the number of students sharing a bathroom and/or gyp facilities. The numbers vary due to the nature and layout of College buildings.

On the pinboard of each student room there should be a note to indicate to which household/zone the room belongs, and the bathroom (if not ensuite) and gyp room which the student may use. Each bathroom and gyp room will also show a note on the outside stating which students (identified by room numbers) are permitted to use the facility. In order to minimise any potential virus transmission, you must adhere to these allocations (however tempting it may be to use another bathroom or gyp which appears to be free).

It is not possible to allocate a separate laundry facility to each household, however some of the larger houses now have additional laundry facilities. Students living in houses with laundry facilities are asked to use them rather than the central facilities, to minimise footfall in the central laundries.

You should take joint responsibility for keeping your room and shared facilities clean: by taking care of cleaning your own room and by cleaning shared facilities each time you use them you reduce the frequency of visits from housekeeping staff, keeping everyone safer.

You should clean your hands frequently with soap/water or 70% alcohol gel.

Full social distancing within a household on a routine basis is not realistically achievable on proximity grounds beyond strict personal hygiene. Nevertheless, social distancing as per Government guidance between households remains a central principle where possible and subject to local risk assessments. Multiple separate households may be housed within the same building connected by semi-communal entrance halls etc. Be aware of high-contact surfaces including door handles and stair bannisters in these areas. These areas will be subject to frequent cleaning and will be a driver behind the ongoing need for frequent hand washing policies.

Student households are permitted to mix as long as no members of the household have symptoms of or test positive for COVID-19. Extra care should be taken particularly with handwashing and hygiene.

Please note that the concept of forming a ‘social bubble’ does not apply to Magdalene College accommodation.

Further information on households is available Stay Safe Cambridge Uni - Living in Cambridge.

Visitors

The College remains closed to the general public but permits entry to those connected with the College (such as parents or guests of students) and academic visitors.

Overnight guests are permitted (in accordance with the rules as stated in the Accommodation Handbook) as long as no members of the household have symptoms of or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Regrettably, student guest rooms remain closed (this is due to staffing shortages making it impossible to service the rooms adequately at the moment).

Self-isolation and testing

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 (i.e. a new or continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss / change in your sense of taste or smell) you must self-isolate immediately and get a PCR test. You must continue to self-isolate if you test positive for 10 days from (including) the day your symptoms started.

You must self-isolate if you are contacted and told to do so by NHS test and trace.

Details on arranging a test is available on the Stay Safe Cambridge website.

You should try to stay at home if you are feeling unwell even if your PCR test is negative.

If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 or are a close contact then you do not need to self-isolate provided that you are double UK-vaccinated (or are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons) or if you are below the age of 18 years and 6 months. You are strongly encouraged to take daily rapid ‘lateral flow’ tests in this case even if you are not required to self-isolate. These are available free of charge from pharmacists or online.

If these do not apply, then such close-contacts/household contacts must self-isolate for 10 days.

You must alert the Porters’ Lodge straight away in this situation so that they can inform the College Nurse and/or your Tutor. You should not go to the Porters’ Lodge in person. You may contact the Porters’ Lodge by telephone 01223 332100 or email porters@magd.cam.ac.uk. You should report in this way whether or not you live in College accommodation or private accommodation. The Porters’ Lodge will contact each member of your College household instructing them on what to do. Each member of the household must stay in their room and follow instructions given by the duty Porter.

Information on requirements for students arriving from overseas is available on the Government website.

The College, along with any self-isolation supporters, will offer your support during self-isolation.

Information as to who is self-isolating will be shared with the College COVID -19 Committee for the purposes of trying to keep you safe by understanding any outbreaks. We will not share this information outside College except in an anonymous form or if required by law.

All students in self-isolation will be offered the option of College meals being delivered.

Vaccination

It is now clear that vaccination is both safe and provides a high level of protection against COVID-19. Whilst infection is still possible after vaccination, and it is possible to be infectious, this has usually been a milder illness than in unvaccinated patients. The best immunity is seen two weeks after double vaccination, with these being at least 8 weeks apart. All eligible students who have not already done so are strongly advised to get themselves vaccinated to help keep themselves and those around them safe.

A programme of booster vaccinations (a third vaccination six months after having received the second initial dose) is now being rolled out nationally for certain groups. Further information and eligibility guidance is available here: NHS Coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine. You are strongly urged to obtain a booster vaccination if/when you fulfil eligibility critera: please keep checking as these are likely to be expanded as the booster is rolled out more widely.

Students with increased susceptibility to infectious diseases

Pre-existing medical conditions may mean that you fall into a group who are at increased susceptibility to COVID-19 or severely increased susceptibility.

If a student with increased susceptibility to infectious diseases is required to self-isolate as a result of close / household contact with someone with COVID-19 they will usually be offered a separate ensuite room away from the household for the duration of the self-isolation. They will still be expected to self-isolate. Students in this position will be charged rent at their usual room rate for the period in self-isolation.

NHS Test and Trace

If you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told that you have been in contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus infection you must self-isolate in accordance with the guidance (refer to NHS guidance).

You must stay in your room and immediately inform the Porters’ Lodge who will give further instruction on what to do. You should not go to the Porters’ Lodge in person. You may contact the Porters’ Lodge by telephone 01223 332100 or email porters@magd.cam.ac.uk If you share bathroom facilities with other members of a household then you must wear a face covering to access the bathroom and clean it after use. You should also wipe down door handles. You will not be permitted to access the gyp room or any other area during the period of.

If you do not have symptoms, then the other members of your household do not need to isolate as a household, but you must segregate from them as much as possible. You should be even more vigilant over hand washing (see information above about hand washing).

Face-to-face supervisions (or small group teaching)

Supervisors and supervisees must socially distance during supervisions. Given the nature of supervisions with people facing each other, this mean 2 metres at Magdalene but will be reviewed later in the Michaelmas term. In line with university recommendations, the wearing of face coverings is strongly recommended in supervisions.
Supervisors and supervisees must clean their hands before and after the supervision (for example with 70% alcohol gel).
Face-to-face supervisions should take place in as small group sizes as possible.
Face-to-face supervisions should take place in the large / well-ventilated rooms. Hard surfaces (e.g. tables) should be cleaned regularly.

Pastoral and wellbeing matters

During a period of self-isolation students will be contacted by their College ‘buddies’ to provide support. Other support is available from:

Your Tutor - your tutor remains available for help, advice, and pastoral support. Please contact them by email.
College Nurse – Taryn Rothwell is available on email tr409@cam.ac.uk during Term Time. She can arrange to have online or phone consultations.
College Counselling – Fliss Cadbury, a senior University Counselling Service counsellor, is our College counsellor who offers UCS counselling for Magdalene students during Term Time.
Chaplain – Sarah is happy for all students to get in touch to chat about anything on your mind. You can contact Sarah at sct39@cam.ac.uk. She is mostly available at all times.
Harassment Officers – Hugo and Pippa are confidential points of contact should you ever feel that you have been harassed or bullied in any sense. They can be contacted at ha205@cam.ac.uk or pms45@cam.ac.uk.
The College Welfare Hub – has information about many more sources of support available to all students.

Expectations

Our welfare and the welfare of all around us is everyone’s business when it comes to COVID-19. We hope that members of the College will take their role in protecting each other and the wider University and Cambridge community seriously. If you fail to comply with this Code of Conduct, or with instructions issued in accordance with it by the COVID-19 Officer or Committee, the Officer or Committee may take action under the College COVID-19 Procedure (which might, if thought necessary in the circumstances of the case, include reference of the matter to the Dean for consideration under the College Student Disciplinary Procedure).

If you encounter someone else whose actions you believe are putting people at risk you should feel free to challenge them. If you do not feel able to challenge them or you are not satisfied with their response, you may report the incident to the COVID-19 Officer for further action in accordance with the College COVID-19 Procedure, (which might, if thought necessary in the circumstances of the case, include reference of the matter to the Dean for consideration under the College Student Disciplinary Procedure)

The College COVID-19 Procedure is available at COVID-19 Procedure.

The College Student Disciplinary Procedure (College Rules) is available at Magdalene College Rules.

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