Covid update April 2022

Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Mapstone FRSE, wrote to all staff and students on Friday 1 April with an update on the University’s response to changing Covid guidelines from the Scottish Government and plans for the next academic year.

Dear Students and Colleagues,

This is a brief but important update on Covid regulations following the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament this week.

Please be aware that the legal requirement to wear masks in indoor locations in Scotland, including universities, will remain in force until Monday 18 April.

The First Minister confirmed that masks will be a legal requirement at least until that date, given the very high levels of Covid infection across Scotland.

If you have Covid, the Government’s strong advice remains that people who test positive should self-isolate. Those who refuse to do so following a positive test are putting the health of others at risk.

We are also all encouraged to continue to test twice a week until Monday 18 April. Test kits remain free at present and our students and staff can collect these from Walter Bower House, the Sports Centre, Students’ Association, Library, and ASC, and from the front desks of most halls of residence.

When, as we expect, the final legal restrictions lift later this month, the University will encourage you all to continue to show respect for each other by wearing face-coverings indoors, testing if you are meeting large groups of people, and isolating if you test positive, at least until the end of our current semester.

We will continue to publish occasional updates of Covid levels in St Andrews on our website, but the frequency of these will become monthly rather than weekly.

Thank you all for your continued patience and support in keeping Covid levels to a minimum in our community. I will write to you all again when the Government confirms that it has converted all legal requirements to guidance.

Sally Mapstone FRSE
Principal and Vice-Chancellor