Travelling To The UK For Study Know How To Self Isolate In Your Accommodation

Covid-19 has drastically transformed the lifestyle of people in every country. Social distancing norms and other safety precautions are in place so as to prevent the virus from spreading. In such a situation, students travelling abroad for educational purposes have to take special care for their safety. Each country requires you to follow specific recommendations and code of conduct in order to keep yourself safe.

Here’s everything you should know about safety precautions as suggested by the United Kingdom Government.

How to self-isolate in your accommodation

You must only stay and self-isolate at the the address you provided on the public health passenger locator form. Furthermore, you should remain at only one place during the entire self-isolation period of 14 days, where you can have food and other necessities delivered.

Additionally, you have to stay away from others. Any and all kind of visitors should be prohibited, including friends and family. You are not allowed to leave your place and go out for work, university, visit public areas or even go shopping. The Accommodation Office has developed a list of suggested ways of getting food delivered which will have been emailed to you before your arrival. If you do not have it please email accommodation@uca.ac.uk

You are not permitted to change the place of your residence when you are self-isolating except in very limited circumstances, including where:

• a legal obligation requires you to change address, such as where you are a child whose parents live separately, and you need to move between homes as part of a shared custody agreement
• it is necessary for you to stay overnight at accommodation before travelling to the place where you will be self-isolating for the remainder of the 14 days
• there’s an emergency

In case of above-mentioned situations, you should provide full details of each address where you will self-isolate on the public health passenger locator form. If, in exceptional circumstances, you cannot remain where you are staying, you must update the form as soon as possible.

Support to help you self-isolate in your own accommodation

Within your accommodation

There is no need for the people you’re staying with to self-isolate, unless they accompanied you while travelling or you develop symptoms of coronavirus.

It is imperative that you avoid contact with other people as much as possible in order to diminish the risk of transmitting the virus. You should stay in a well-ventilated room with a window to the outside that can be opened, separate from other people in your home.

Washing your hands and keeping good hygiene

Thoroughly washing hands is the most basic safety precaution during this time of pandemic. But its importance increases heavily for those who have recently travelled to the UK as they may have contracted the virus and not yet develop any symptoms. Frequently wash your hands with soap and hot water, for at least 20 seconds, rinse and dry properly. It is strongly advisable to use an alcohol-based sanitizer in case soap and water are not accessible. Avoid touching your eyes, nose as well as mouth.

Basic cautions such as covering your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze are very effective. Remember to dispose of the tissues into a plastic waste bag and immediately wash your hands.

Arrangement of food items

When self-isolating in the United Kingdom, it is best to try and have your food items delivered at your residence during your self-isolation period.

As per the Government guidelines, you are only allowed to leave your accommodation in exceptional circumstances.

Therefore, we have compiled a list for you of ways to arrange for food delivery.

There are 3 main ways of getting food delivered:

1. Food boxes
2. Fast food delivery service
3. Supermarkets

Food boxes

There exists a recipe box service that delivers ready-prepared meals to the homes of customers.

In order to avail this service, you will need to provide your full address along with the postcode to check whether the food box delivery service is available in your area. You can ask your local Accommodation Office for the necessary details.

Hello Fresh

The boxes offered by Hello Fresh contain pre-measured locally sourced ingredients and recipes that are easy-to-follow and should not take longer than half an hour to prepare.

They also have an option of subscription for single people.

Gousto

Gousto offers its services through a mobile app which is often more feasible than a subscription. Whenever you aren’t sure of your plans or aren’t able to cook, you can just order one of their boxes.

Mindful Chef

They also provide ‘next day care box’.

Fast food delivery/takeaways

Before ordering from local fast food vendors and takeaways, make sure that check whether they offer their services to your area/postcode.

Here’s a list of delivery services that will deliver food from local restaurants to your door:

www.ubereats.com

www.just-eat.com

www.deliveroo.co.uk

Supermarkets that will deliver to your door

Most of the supermarkets provide an online delivery service wherein you are required to book a delivery date along with the time and have all of your groceries delivered to your doorstop.

Here’s a list of some popular supermarkets:

• ASDA
• Sainsbury’s
• Morrisons
• Tesco
• Waitrose

The process of placing an order with a Supermarket is as follows:

• Register your details online and create an account.
• Check to see if a delivery slot is available on the date you want it
• Select your shopping
• Pay online
• Wait for your shopping to be delivered

After self-isolating for 14 days

After self-isolating for 14 days, check thoroughly for any symptoms and if there aren’t any, you can come out of self-isolation. There after you need to follow the same rules as followed by people who live in the UK. Please make sure to review the rules for the part of the UK you’re staying in:

England

If you’re a student whose plan is to pursue higher-education from the UK, please make sure to go through the government approved guidelines for Covid-19. Follow all the rules and conduct strictly so as to ensure a smooth and safe learning environment for you. A thorough preparation in advance is always better than an eleventh-hour emergency.

For a complete guide on ‘Abroad Education in the UK’, contact us today!