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Safety Hub

Covid-19 update – Events and Activities - 9th December 2021

Below you’ll find the latest updates in terms of current Covid-19 measures and booking spaces around campus to help you with your planning.


Are there any covid-19 measures that you need to think about when planning your events and activities?

Following yesterday’s latest Government Coronavirus update (08/12/2021) there may be some uncertainty over what activity and events can still take place in the build up to Christmas. 

As a result of this, we would like to provide a few updates with regards to your Student Group activity for the remainder of this Semester: 

  • Any planned event/activity can still go ahead, both on and off campus, based upon your event/activity having been approved by uea(su) through our usual processes 
  • Masks must be worn for all indoor events/activity apart from when eating, drinking, exercising, singing, in a nightclub or if you're exempt from wearing one (as per the Government guidance here) 
  • From 15th December, certain venues and events will be required by law to check that all visitors aged 18 years or over are fully vaccinated. These include places such as nightclubs, other late night venues open between 1am and 5am and serve alcohol during this time, indoor events with 500 or more attendees, outdoor events with more than 4000 attendees and any event with 10,000 attendees. More information can be found here 
  • Please note that the above is still subject to any further Government, University or uea(su) updates/guidance. Please visit the Government website here, the UEA website here and the uea(su) safety hub here for the latest information which also includes what to do if you have symptoms or test positive for Coronavirus 
  • If your Student Group are low on supplies of hand sanitiser, face masks and/or antibacterial wipes you can request additional supplies of these from us at the Students’ Union via [email protected]  

We will be continuously reviewing this approach over the coming weeks and as we move into next Semester. 

Your safety as students is our main priority and whilst we would like to enable as much of your activity to continue to take place as possible, your safety will always remain our priority. 

If anyone has any questions based upon this please reach out to our Head of Student Development and Activities, Adam Roche, on [email protected]  


Bookable Rooms

Bookable rooms are currently able to be booked at pre Covid capacities which can be found below:

  • Bookable Room 1 – 50 people
  • Bookable Room 2 – 15 people
  • Bookable Room 3 – 8 people
  • Bookable Room 4 – 15 people
  • Bookable Room 5 – 20 people
  • Bookable Room 6 – 50 people

Rooms can currently be booked between 11am and 3pm until 20th September. From 20th September, rooms can be booked from 9am – 10pm. To book a bookable room, please click here.


UEA Rooms

UEA rooms can currently be booked at pre Covid capacities. To book a UEA room, please click here.


The Hive

Hive stalls are now able to be booked! Click here to book a stall in the Hive.

 

Exhibition Space

We are hoping that the Exhibition Space will be able to be booked soon, however, we’re still finalising the booking process for this so please check back for updates as to when the Hive is able to be booked.

 

Blue Bar

Students are able to book blue bar on Mondays and Thursdays from 4th October, subject to availability. Any event in this space has to be something that any customer could watch and enjoy, for example, an open mic night, poetry slam or an interactive activity. Events in this space should be seen as an opportunity to expand the reach of your club or society by engaging with our customer base. 

No ticketed events can take place in Blue Bar as it has to be open to everyone, however your club or society will be able to take cashless, voluntary donations via the SU website.

Quizzes will now be limited to just Sundays and must be open to everybody. Here, student groups will have the opportunity to ‘take over’ the weekly quiz and raise money for their society, prizes will be provided which will be ten £5 vouchers at no extra cost to you and ticket sales will be done over the bars Round App at £1 per ticket. Bob will continue to run the quiz on select Sundays throughout the academic year and student group takeover dates will be decided at the start of each semester.

To enquire about booking the blue bar, please email [email protected].

 

Red Bar

Red bar is not a bookable space.

 

Scholars Bar

Although Scholars bar cannot be booked out as a whole, Postgraduate student groups are able to reserve tables in Scholars for events or activities that they may be doing. Please note that this is a PG area only. If you are an individual student wanting to reserve tables in scholars bar, please contact Ayane Hida, your postgraduate education officer for support with this at [email protected] . If you are a PG club or society who would like to reserve tables in Scholars bar, please email [email protected] for more details.


LCR

We can now start to take student group enquiries for the LCR for November onwards, however, please be mindful that there will be limited amount of availability in the LCR due to there now being two years of gigs in one year. Please be patient with us as we try to determine whether the date you require the LCR to be booked is available. To enquire about booking the LCR, please email [email protected].


Green Room

We can now start to take student group enquiries for the Green Room, however, please be mindful that there will be limited amount of availability in the Green Room due to there being two years of gigs in one year and this being used as a dressing room. Please be patient with us as we try to determine whether the date you require the Green Room to be booked is available. To enquire about booking the Green Room, please email [email protected].


Unio

Unio is not currently a bookable space, however, please check back here for more updates as this may be a space that becomes available in the future.


Conferences

We are hoping that conferences will take place next year, however, we are currently working through details of the booking process so we are not able to take any conference bookings for the time being. Keep checking back for updates of when this may be able to change.


Outdoor Space events

Events and activities taking place outdoors, on campus are able to go ahead as normal. Please make sure, as before, you complete a risk assessment and open spaces permission form and send through to [email protected] to approve. Once we have approved your application, we will send it onto UEA Open Spaces team to approve and liaise with you directly.

 

BBQ’s

BBQ bookings are being taken, to book a BBQ, you will need to fill in a BBQ events permission form here and sign a pre written BBQ risk assessment which will act as confirmation that you have read through the risk assessment and that you agree to sticking by/implementing the safety measures. Once you’ve done that, send through to [email protected] for us to approve and send onto UEA Open Spaces team to also approve and liaise with you directly.

 

Campus Kitchen block

Parts of Vista, Blend and Zest will now be available for student groups to hire in the new academic year, out of hours, Monday - Friday up to 9:45pm at a cost of £30 per area including VAT. For more information on this, please contact [email protected].


Trips

Local trips can now take place, however, please be mindful of external rules on things like public transport and external venues and make sure that you abide by these. International student group travel can be approved from January 2022.

We have recently created an international travel guide which can take place from January 2022. Key points are:

  • External trip providers are your priority
  • Research both the requirements for testing upon arrival at your destination and the requirements for testing upon returning to the UK
  • Check coronavirus rates in the UK and travel destination
  • Organise robust travel insurance that covers you for Covid
  • You mustn’t fly if you can get there via an alternative method
  • Complete an International Trip Request Form

Travel guide will be published on the website soon.

Complete a risk assessment form here and a trip form here. Please send your risk assessment and trip form at least a week before your trip for UK trips and at least 8 weeks for international trips to [email protected] to be approved. Your trip form will then be sent to the security lodge.

More information on trips and where you can find trip forms and risk assessments can be found here. 


Balls/Christmas parties

We are happy for student groups to start booking things like balls and Christmas parties at external venues. Please remember however to make us aware of this and send us through all contracts before signing anything. You will also need to send us through your risk assessment before your event takes place. You can send these through to [email protected]. Please also make yourselves aware of the SU’s finance processes for paying invoices.

 

Other external events/activities

If you are planning any other event or activity off campus, please make us aware of this and send us through all contracts before signing anything. If your event doesn't involve an external venue, such as playing rounders in a local park, you will just need to make sure you send a risk assessment through to us to sign off before your event takes place. You can send these through to [email protected].

 

As you can imagine, we are currently receiving a high volume of queries so please be patient with us as we aim to work through these as quickly as possible. Please also allow yourselves plenty of time when organising your events and activities, we would recommend at least 4 weeks for smaller events and 6-8 weeks for larger events.


For any questions, please email [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

 

Symptoms of Covid-19

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

 

What to do if you have symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19

Below is some points on what you should do if you have symptoms or have returned a positive COVID - 19 test, please follow each step carefully. Please note, should there be multiple cases you would apply the below for each individual. For those that may live together, you all must follow the process as an individual. 

  1. Student must inform the University if they have a positive test or COVID-19 symptoms using the Covid-19 Notification Form  

  1. Relevant student must isolate and inform their household to isolate  

  1. Symptomatic individual must self-isolate straight away for 10 days, or longer if they still have symptoms  

  1. If symptomatic individual lives in a household, all other persons in the household must self-isolate immediately for 14 days  

  2. Self-isolation starts again if a positive case is confirmed  

  3. See the detailed Government guidance here  

  4. If they are able to download the app, the relevant student must also notify the NHS track and Trace App of their result 

  5. Student informs any student group committee, friends, family and visitors to self-isolate, who they have interacted with in the 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms, e.g. what we mean by interacted is, if it was within 2m for more than 15 minutes as a one off, or cumulatively over the course of one day. Further definitions can be found here 

  6. Not to socialise with others in their household and keep their distance for more information on self-isolation please visit the NHS website 

  7. If you are an employee of the Union to notify your line manager of any upcoming or shifts within the last 48 hours before the onset of symptoms as well as any further shifts upcoming 

  8. Students should notify their Academic Advisor  

  9. Student in halls put up signage on the door / in kitchen, if you a resident you will be contacted by Student Services Residential Team to provide you with this information 

  10. Communicate result of test to [email protected]

  11. If you are a student group committee member you must notify the Student Union on [email protected]