CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

At this current time, we completely understand the concerns and the uncertainty that coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing and we as a company are doing everything, we can to help any of our students that may be affected during these unprecedented times.

We want you to know that the health and wellbeing of our residents and our staff, is of the utmost importance to Torsion Students.

As we continue to monitor the current situation very closely, we continue to follow the advice given by Public Health England, the NHS and the Foreign Commonwealth Office as well as monitoring updates from the Universities. We will update our procedures in line with the latest Government guidance and update any changes here.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

For those students who are joining us in September 2021, we have continued our risk-free booking for 2021-22.

Risk-free booking, we have you covered even if.

• You do not get the grades
• You do not get a Visa
• government travel restrictions are still in place
• your University course is delayed

For the residents that are living in our properties, we have a plan that ensures the safe management of our residents, buildings, and site teams. This plan includes:

• Ensuring we update our procedures and information to keep all our residents and staff updated with Government and Public Health England guidance and instructions.
• Ensuring the frequency of cleaning within all public areas and touchpoints including receptions, lifts, door handles, and public bathrooms are carried out at regular intervals.
• Implementing procedures to ensure we can support a student who is unwell at our sites.
• Temporary restrictions of one household in our onsite gyms and Cinema rooms. We have created safe spaces in our study rooms and other larger common spaces, so that all staff and residents can undertake social distancing as per Government regulations.
• Ensuring that all communications are done via telephone and email except in the case of essential maintenance or emergency situations, ensuring we can adhere to social distancing. Our site teams can still be contacted on the usual telephone number or by email and our out of hours team are still available if needed.
• Temporary suspension of resident guests/visitors to our properties except for essential maintenance or emergency situations.
• The staff attending properties will be there to undertake essential health and safety checks to ensure our properties run safely and in line with statutory compliance, ensuring that we are adhering to the Government non-essential travel restrictions through a reduced staff presence at our properties.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO? FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

We have now received instruction from the Government that we need to control the virus and stay alert, to do this, you should:

• Remain in your residence as much as possible.
• Limit contact with other people if you are travelling for education.
• Keep your distance if you do need to go out, maintaining social distancing guidelines and staying 2 metres apart where possible.
• Undertake exercise, for example, a run, walk, or cycle, but you should do this alone or with members of your household only.
• Travel to and from work by car, bicycle or through walking and avoid public transport as much as possible, and you should only attend your place of work where your work cannot be done from home.
• Please remember that you can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms. You are advised to self-isolate if you do get symptoms of the virus or anyone in your residence/household gets symptoms.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU ARE RESIDING IN ONE OF OUR PROPERTIES?

• Follow our property fire and emergency procedures.
• Arrange essential deliveries only that can be collected by you personally (we can bring these up to those who are in isolation/quarantine).
• No household mixing under any circumstances if you come into contact with anyone outside of our properties please ensure that you maintain social distancing. Your fellow housemates in a shared cluster flat or townhouse are not included in this.
• Remember the importance of good handwashing, this helps protect yourself and others.
• Regular cleaning using your usual household products, such as disinfectants, detergents, and bleach. Ensuring that door handles, handrails, remote controls, and tabletops are cleaned more regularly.
• Household waste can be disposed of as normal, but we request that personal waste especially used tissues and disposable cleaning cloths are placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from household waste for at least 48 hours before being put in your usual property waste bin.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO IF YOU FEEL UNWELL WHILST RESIDING IN OUR PROPERTIES?

The Government advises that you should self-isolate in your room if you have a high temperature (if you don’t have a thermometer check if you feel hot to touch on your chest or back) or you have a new, continuous cough (which means you are coughing repeatedly). Please read the NHS’s advice on COVID-19 and its advice on self-isolation in student accommodation here.

If you are concerned about any potential symptoms, then please call the NHS Helpline on 111.

Inform your property team via your property email address and they will contact you with further information regarding self-isolation in your property.

If you become aware that somebody is self-isolating in your shared accommodation cluster flat, you too will need to self-isolate as per the Government advice.

YOUR WELLBEING

It is important to look after your mental health as well as physical health. If you feel you need extra support, please contact your University wellbeing teams, call the charity Mind (Mental Health) on 0845 766 0163 or visit Student Minds online for advice and guidance.