Broadcast: News items
Latest information and guidance: 19 November 2021
By: Sean Armstrong
Last updated: Friday, 19 November 2021
![Autumn foliage near Meeting House](/broadcast/images/uploads/2021/11/14090.item.jpg)
Thank you to those members of the staff community who through their behaviour - wearing face coverings and getting regular tests - have helped keep infection rates low at Sussex.
We do expect all students and staff to wear face coverings, unless exempt, on public transport and in crowded and enclosed spaces on campus - including in all teaching spaces and the Library - and to follow the instructions indicated by signage.
Government guidelines recommend that all staff should get twice-weekly Covid-19 tests using the home testing kits that are easily ordered from the www.gov.uk website. Staff and students can also collect home testing kits from several campus locations.
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Let us know
Please consider updating your vaccination status on the MyView portal. It's helpful for the University to know the likely levels of protection our staff have against the virus. It's your choice whether you supply this information and you can remove the data at any time.
Local walk-in booster clinics
Walk-in vaccination sessions are taking place in the local area, including booster clinics if it's been 182 days (6 months) since your second dose. You don’t need an appointment, and you can simply turn up to receive your vaccination. See the Keep Sussex Safe pages for more information.
Winter guidance
As the weather becomes colder, the University's Health and Safety team has published some winter guidance on Covid to provide managers with information on what steps can be taken to balance ventilation rates against temperature. Information for staff will continue to be updated on our Working on campus webpages.
Your wellbeing
The University’s Employee Assistance Programme partners, Health Assured, offer a comprehensive service for Sussex staff and an evidence-based app providing tools and support to improve mental wellbeing. Their confidential helpline provides urgent support to staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 0800 316 9337.
Please take some time to consider the range of webinars hosted by Health Assured (using access code: worklife and password: worklife). The 'Coping with change' session, offering practical measures we can put in place to help us cope with change in our lives, may be of particular interest at this time.
Working under the current circumstances can throw up challenges as Covid-19 continues to influence our lives, so please remember that University's wellbeing hub offers many tools and resources to look after your mental, physical and financial wellbeing. The hub has recently been updated with our new Wellbeing and Mental Health Policy and a recent report from the staff mental health forum.