Group - Advice for Students, Parents and Carers

On 1 April 2022 the Government announced its plans for living with Covid. This means that from this date, the following applies:

Free Covid test kits (LFD and PCR) are no longer being supplied by Government. If people wish to test, they can purchase test kits from their local pharmacy.
Students aged 18 or over who have symptoms, or a positive test should self-isolate for the first five days and avoid contact with other people. This is because the first five days is the time that they are likely to be most infectious. It is no longer necessary to test negative on days 5 and 6. They can return to College on day 6 if they feel well and no longer have a high temperature. If they continue to feel unwell, they should stay at home.
Students/young people under the age of 18 who have symptoms or a positive test should self isolate for the first three days and avoid contact with other people. They can return to College/nursery on day 4 if they feel well and no longer have a high temperature. If they continue to feel unwell, they should stay at home.
Those who have symptoms or test positive for Covid-19 should avoid contact with anyone in an at-risk group for 10 days, including if they live in the same household. Guidance for households can be found here .
Anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated or had the full course of Covid-19 vaccinations is strongly advised to do so.

Symptoms of Covid have been extended and now includes the following:

a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature 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
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a sore throat
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhea
feeling sick or being sick

EKC Group will continue to promote vaccination as the best form of defence against Covid and will retain good practices such as:

increased ventilation
promotion of good hand/respiratory hygiene
regular cleaning
retaining existing screens
recommending that staff, students and visitors do not attend if they have Covid symptoms or have tested positive

Students may continue to wear face coverings whilst on EKC Group’s sites if they wish to do so. The use of face coverings in crowded, enclosed spaces or when meeting people you don’t know continues to be recommended.

If you have any questions, please contact your local College using the details below:

Ashford College: ashford@eastkent.ac.uk

Broadstairs College: support.services@eastkent.ac.uk and 01843 605040

Canterbury College: iag@eastkent.ac.uk and 01227 811 111

Dover Technical College: dover@eastkent.ac.uk and 01304 244332

Folkestone College: folkestone@eastkent.ac.uk and 01303 858216

Sheppey College: sheppey@eastkent.ac.uk and 01795 581581