COVID-19: Major incident declared in London

The Mayor has declared a “major incident” to help NHS London, local authorities and other essential services support each other and reduce service disruption in the capital. 

A major incident is any event or situation which allows special arrangements to be put in place by the emergency services, the NHS or local authorities.  

 At the present time, there is no change to UK Government advice or guidance from UCL.  

Please check the UK Government and NHS websites, as well as UCL’s coronavirus information hub, for the latest updates, especially if you are planning to travel over the winter break.  

Keeping safe on campus 

UCL is following UK Government guidance and advice from our Public Health experts to keep everyone on campus as safe as possible. Staff and students onsite should continue to follow the measures we have put in place and remember: 

• Get vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 if you can. The NHS vaccination centre at Bidborough House is currently accepting walk-in appointments, although these may be suspended at very busy times. You can find your closest walk-in vaccination centre on the NHS website.   

• Face coverings are mandatory while indoors on campus unless you are exempt.  

• You must not come to campus if you are unwell. Get tested with a free Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test if you think you may have COVID-19. 

• Get tested at least twice a week with a free Lateral Flow Test (LFT), and before mixing with people in crowded indoor places, even if you don’t have COVID-19 symptoms.  

• Report your test results (positive or negative) to the NHS and UCL Connect to Protect.  

Teaching in Term 2 

UK Government guidance states that universities should remain open for face-to-face education and learning support. This is also the advice from UCL’s Public Health experts.  

All students should plan to travel to campus for face-to-face teaching for the start of Term 2, unless they are on a remote learning pathway. UCL will keep our position under review, in line with Government guidance and informed by our Public Health experts, and we will update you should anything change. 

Read more about what to expect in January in our recent update for students.