University students – coronavirus information

The council is working with the University of Portsmouth and Hampshire Constabulary to minimise the risk of coronavirus in the city.

The university has made significant changes to its campus:

• Except for exempt individuals, masks must be worn inside buildings
• Teaching is delivered through a hybrid approach with the majority of teaching in person and around 20% delivered online
• Hand sanitising stations are available around the campus
• The university has conducted a room-by-room review of ventilation
• Rooms with inadequate ventilation will not be used
• Detailed risk assessments have also been completed for all its buildings and activities

Students are expected to take personal responsibility for their own and others’ safety, and like everyone else, the vast majority do this.

The university’s role – as well that of its partners – is to support students to act responsibly and to take any necessary steps against those who do not.

There are regular communications with students asking them to follow government rules.

Hampshire Constabulary has been granted enforcement powers to break up social gatherings, issue fines and ensure face coverings are worn where required. Whilst the police’s approach remains to support students and the public in following the regulations, officers will continue to engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.

The council, the Police, Public Health officials, the university and the Students’ Union are also in regular communication, sharing information and identifying any issues that need to be addressed.

We ask landlords to remind student tenants who have to self-isolate that support is available to them from the University’s Res Life and Wellbeing teams. The Res Life team can be contacted by email on reslife@port.ac.uk or by phone on 023 9284 4500. Welfare services, such as the Student Wellbeing Service, can be contacted on wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk or 023 9284 3466.

Landlords can contact the Portsmouth & District Private Landlord’s Association on https://pdpla.com/.

If residents are concerned about a social gathering or other disturbance, they should first report a breach of COVID regulations on the Hampshire Constabulary website or by calling 101. Please do not use 999 except for emergencies.

Resident complaints about student behaviour can be made to the University’s Student and Neighbour Liaison Service which can be contacted on 023 9284 3214 or on student-neighbourliaison@port.ac.uk.

Any resident who wishes to report a noise disturbance should do so via the council website or by calling 023 9283 4092

Portsmouth City Council, the University of Portsmouth and Hampshire Constabulary are working in partnership to ensure a joined-up approach to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our whole community.