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COVID-19 and Personal Data Collection

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need to comply with Government guidance, the University will need to collect and use personal data about staff, students and others, including special category data concerning health.

Personal data will be collected and processed to enable the University to continue to provide a safe environment for people to work and study and to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to support compliance with Government guidance. Personal data will be used for the following broad purposes:

• To protect the health of staff, students and other members of the University community and to inform decisions about the steps to take in meeting our health and safety obligations;
• To assess and manage any risks relating to individuals working, studying or living on campus, including both the return to and departure from campus, for example, at the start and end of term; and
• To record and monitor the self-isolation and quarantine of individuals, for example where necessary to protect the health of staff, students or others (such as our campus partners), to provide necessary support to individuals, and to meet other public health obligations in response to Government guidance.

The guidance below provides more general information about how the University collects and uses data in relation to Covid-19, lockdown and other restrictions, and Government guidance. This covers key details such as who data will be shared with, how long it will be retained, and the legal basis for processing.

Click here to see our general Covid-19 and data protection guidance.

We have also published specific data protection guidance about our Covid Reporting Application, where individuals can report if they have had a positive Covid-19 test, have Covid-19 related symptoms, or have been in contact with an individual with Covid-19.

Click here to see our Covid Reporting Application data protection guidance.

If you have any queries or concerns about the use of personal data in relation to Covid-19, please contact the University's Data Protection Officer at dpo@sussex.ac.uk.