Letter to all Staff on Announcement of Level 5 Restrictions from December 24th

22nd December 2020

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Good Afternoon Colleagues

I hope you are all winding down in readiness of a well-earned, and well-deserved Christmas break.

I am writing following today’s Government announcement of a return to Level 5 restrictions from 24th December, with further restrictions imposed from 27th December through to 12th January, 2021. I hope this announcement does not impact too much on your personal and family circumstances and that your Christmas can progress as planned.

Before the Institute officially closes for Christmas, I would like to advise you that today’s announcement – at least for the moment – does not greatly effect or change our return to work and study plans for January.

As advised previously we had always intended to limit on-campus activity during the first week of January. As such, our published plans are consistent with today’s recommendations in that work and study will recommence on January 4th, yet as a precaution we will implement remote/online work and study only during this week for all but essential on-campus activities/services. 

Our plan for classes, and your on-campus attendance, to return to a more regular schedule from January 11th, will now extend to January 12th as per public health guidance. 

The return to Level 5 restrictions, while necessary, is certainly a blow given the optimism and expectation we all had for a safe return to “something akin to normal” in early 2021. Hopefully the imminent arrival of a vaccine, will ensure that the immense effort and adjustments made by you all over so many months will be rewarded soon.

Colleagues, the Executive will continue to monitor Public Health and Government advisories over the holiday season and if necessary I will issue further updates prior to our return to work on January 4th.

For now, I wish you all a restful and peaceful Christmas in the company of those who matter most…

Stay safe,

David

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David Smith President