News

Testing arrangements over the Easter holiday period

We would like to thank all staff and students for engaging in the asymptomatic testing programme on their return to College. It is essential that this vital contribution to restrict the spread of Covid-19 continues during the Easter holiday period.

Therefore all staff and students should:-

• continue to test twice a week at home
• report positive, negative or void results on both the Government website and through the College reporting systems
• test before returning to College for the summer term, either the night before, or morning of, the first day back of the summer term which starts on Monday 19 April.

All students should make sure that they have sufficient stock of the testing kits to cover this period and, if needed, liaise with their tutors this week for the arrangements to collect additional supplies.

From March 31, NHS Test and Trace are reintroducing confirmatory PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing for positive Lateral Flow Device tests conducted at all assisted testing sites, including colleges.

This means that any students or staff that get a positive LFD test, whether at home or supervised at College, should get a confirmatory PCR.

The PCR test should be booked immediately either online or by calling 119 and should be undertaken within 2 days of the initial result.

Students and staff who receive a positive LFD test result, along with their close contacts and other members of their household, should self-isolate immediately in line with NHS Test and Trace guidance, while awaiting the PCR result.

If the PCR test is negative, it overrides the LFD test and the student or staff member can return to College, and their close contacts can end their self-isolation.