COVID-19 travel information

You also need to get tested as soon as you return to campus:

• If you test positive you should self-isolate before returning to campus.
• You should get tested at one of our test clinics when you arrive on campus and again three days later.
• If you test positive at our clinic you should self-isolate and let us know by emailing covid19@essex.ac.uk.
• Upon your return to the University please make sure you have LFT tests at our clinic twice weekly.

If it is easier for you to access asymptomatic testing in the community, near where you live, you are free to take a lateral flow test there.

This might be particularly useful if you live some distance from University.

If you have tested positive to COVID within the past 90 days, you are exempt from testing.

If you have had a vaccine against COVID, you should still take the tests.

You can see the latest 'red list' on the UK Government website.

The UK Government announced on 25 January 2021 that over 30 countries were being placed on a travel ban list. This means that people travelling from or transiting in these countries will be denied entry into the UK. However, this ban does not apply to British and Irish Nationals, or third country nationals with 'residence rights' in the UK. If you have a Tier 4/new student visa or have pre-settled/settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, then this ban does not apply to you, because you have 'residence rights'. Please note however, that you will not be allowed to use the test to release scheme to end isolation early.

For further information please see the UK Government website.

Preparing to travel from and arriving from a country on the ‘red list’

From 15 February 2021, if you arrive from a country on the banned travel list you will have to self-isolate for 10 days in a UK Government-contracted hotel. You will need to purchase a hotel quarantine package at a cost of £1750 which includes the 10 days' accommodation and the two COVID-19 tests. Further information on how to book this package can be found on the UK Government website.

Fines and prison sentence can apply if you fail to follow this process, so please check carefully. 

You can see the latest 'red list' on the UK Government website.

From 15 February 2021, if you arrive from non-banned countries, you will need to have purchased the two COVID-19 tests to be taken on day two and day eight of your self-isolation period. This is booked through the NHS currently and there will be a cost to this. Please look at the UK Government website for details of what you need to do before you travel and how to book this package.

Before you travel self-isolation and the Test to Release International Travel scheme

The UK Government has decided to allow people entering England from outside the UK the chance to reduce their period of self-isolation by booking a private COVID-19 test with the Test to Release for International Travel scheme. The scheme allows people entering England to book a COVID-19 test with a private provider in England before they arrive. If the COVID-19 test result is negative, they will be able to end their self-isolation immediately. The earliest you will be able to take the test will be 5 full days after you left the country you travelled from. 

You should book your test before you travel to England. This is so you can enter these details on the passenger locator form. However, you can also choose to take part in the scheme once you're in England.

Please note that if you are travelling from certain countries to the UK, you will not be allowed to use the Test to Release for International Travel scheme. This updated list can be found on the UK Government website linked above. It's important that you read this the test to release information on the Government website carefully and understand what you have to do before and after your arrival in England.

If you’re travelling to the UK for less than 10 days, you will be expected to self-isolate for the length of your stay, but you can travel directly to your place of departure. See the Government website for further information on how to self-isolate.

We know self-isolating is a challenge. We offer a range of support to help you through this challenging time.

Please contact your department who will be able to advise of the teaching requirement for the term and if there are circumstances that would make it difficult or prevent your from travelling this can be discussed. You can also email covid19@essex.ac.uk if you have any questions.

The Government has also made clear that students should not return to their term time accommodation at this point, without a compelling reason. Examples of compelling reasons are:

• you are an international student who has remained in the UK or have arrived and do not have alternative accommodation  
• you do not have access to appropriate study spaces or facilities in your vacation accommodation  
• you have remained in your university accommodation over the winter break 
• you need additional support, including with mental health issues  
• you are on a placement where the placement provider has COVID secure measures in place, is permitted to open based on the relevant local restrictions and is content for placements to continue

We appreciate that these arrangements will create particular challenges for care leavers, estranged students, international students and those for whom studying from home may be difficult. It has also been difficult for our students who have stayed on campus or are living alone in the university areas. If you need to speak to someone, help and support is available.

Students who have not yet moved into University accommodation, either because they have deferred occupancy or have paused their tenancy during the Autumn Term, will only pay accommodation charges for the Spring Term when they move in. Contact askthehub@essex.ac.uk for more information.

We undertake lateral flow, rapid antigen tests on campus for asymptomatic students and staff and recommend these twice weekly.  The tests you will need to take for the quarantine period if you are travelling from overseas are different to these tests and you should not attend for the University based tests until after you have finished your quarantine period. 

We are running an increased number of clinics and we ask our community to be tested more frequently during this period. By increasing the frequency of testing we hope to allow our students to safely return and protect those who have remained on campus during the break.

For students travelling from within the UK and Ireland, to ensure we are COVID secure, any student not wishing to be tested during this period will need to self-isolate for 10 days before accessing any of our campuses. Therefore, you will be asked in the first week you return to campus to take two tests - on day two and day eight. After your first week back it is suggested that you have a test weekly.

If you are a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, or if you have been made aware that you are a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, you must isolate for a 10-day period.

If you are a close contact of a positive case and you wish to travel during the vacation period, you will need to have a negative antigen test or a negative PCR test before you travel. You will still need to self-isolate for a 10-day period at your destination. If you develop symptoms in the 10-day period you will need to arrange for an NHS COVID-19 test.

If you are sharing a house with others at your destination, they will not need to self-isolate unless you develop symptoms. We have developed a full programme of self-isolation support.

Students who are required to isolate should let us know by email covid19@essex.ac.uk.

1. Take a bus or taxi from the University of Essex Colchester Campus at Wivenhoe Park. to Colchester (North Station).
2. Take an overground train (Greater Anglia) from Colchester North Station to Liverpool Street.
3. Take an overground train (Stansted Express) to Stansted Airport

1. Take a bus or taxi from the University of Essex Colchester Campus at Wivenhoe Park. to Colchester (North Station).
2. Take an overground train (Greater Anglia) from Colchester North Station to Liverpool Street.
3. Take an underground train (TfL) via the Circle (yellow) or Hammersmith & City (pink) line from Liverpool Street to Paddington or King’s Cross St Pancras station
4. Take an overground train from Paddington station OR take an underground train (dark blue & white striped line) to Heathrow Airport. From Kings Cross St Pancras Station use the underground train Piccadilly (dark blue) line to Heathrow Airport.

1. Take a bus or taxi from the University of Essex Colchester Campus at Wivenhoe Park. to Colchester (North Station).
2. Take an overground train (Greater Anglia) from Colchester North Station to Liverpool Street.
3. Take an underground train (TfL) via the Circle (yellow) line from Liverpool Street station to Victoria station.
4. Take the Gatwick Express (overground) directly from Victoria station to Gatwick Airport OR take an overground (Southern Rail or Thameslink) train from Victoria to Gatwick Airport.

1. Take a bus or taxi from the University of Essex Colchester Campus at Wivenhoe Park. to Colchester (North Station).
2. Take an overground train (Greater Anglia) from Colchester North Station to Liverpool Street.
3. Take an underground train (TfL) via the Circle (yellow) or Hammersmith & City (pink) line from Liverpool Street station to King’s Cross St Pancras.
4. Take an overground train (Thameslink) from King’s Cross St Pancras to Luton Airport