The latest information on safety, testing and Imperial's response to COVID-19

Updated 18 January 2021

With the start of a new year, and another national lockdown, we are reviewing how we can best support all members of our community. From this page, you can find all the latest information about how the College is responding to COVID-19 and the support and guidance available. 

Campus status

Our campuses and halls of residence are in national lockdown which means that only students and staff required to be on our campuses should visit. We are now delivering education online-only until at least mid-February (with a few exceptions) and continue to support our staff and students at home or in halls. Researchers and research students can continue to access laboratories if they cannot undertake their research from home, and students in halls can access our libaries and study spaces if they do not have access to those facilities at home. Find out more on the College  COVID-19  status page. 

Working or studying on campuses, or living in halls

Keeping you safe remains our top priority. We are committed to delivering an environment that is as safe as possible and to support the choices that people make travelling to College premises. Our positive cases continue to be relatively low, we publish our testing data daily, but we need to take extra special care by:

• following the safety measures that will help protect one another and limit the spread of the virus
• taking regular COVID-19 tests. This is essential if you're required to attend campus during the lockdown and for all students living in halls. Find out how to get a test and read about the College's 'gold standard' asymptomatic testing scheme
  
• scanning the QR codes where you see the signs
• notifying the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Hub (CCT Hub) if you receive a positive test.  

To support our staff who are required to work, or are returning to work at College premises, we have updated our general guidance for line managers. We also recognise that travelling to and from campus may be a cause of concern for some, which is why new travel guidance for managers has been published. 

The new travel guidance encourages managers to support staff choices for safe travel, such as:

• allowing flexible working hours to avoid travel at busier times on public transport, 
• considering reimbursement of congestion charges and/or local parking charges if College parking is not available, and
• in some cases, considering reimbursing taxi fares. 

Read the managers' travel guidance for more details. 

If you're travelling to the UK from overseas, please note the latest travel guidance from the UK government. We also have information about the government's test to release scheme.

Imperial's research and community in action

We are proud of Imperial's major role in building the world's understanding of the virus and finding solutions to keep us safe. From world-leading research to technological innovations, students volunteering to help in our hospitals to supporting members of our local community - read about Imperial's research and community in action.