Coronavirus: Sheffield Hallam suspends face to face teaching

The university has said that it would be transitioning to remote working for all staff, and that heads of department and line managers will be in contact with students and staff in the coming days to confirm teaching and working arrangements.

Buildings will remain open, and students who need access to specialist facilities will be given it, a statement said.

All university-related international travel is suspended.

A statement from Sheffield Hallam said: “The University is treating this as a major incident. An Incident Management Group, led by members of the University Leadership Team, is meeting regularly to monitor the outbreak of coronavirus, and to implement contingency plans as the situation evolves.

“We are closely following the latest advice and guidance issued by the UK Government and Public Health England. We will continue to take all appropriate and necessary steps, as required by the official advice, to keep our community safe.

“As a University community, nation and world, we are facing a rapidly changing and unpredictable situation. The weeks ahead are likely to be challenging for us all. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority, and we are doing all we can to plan for all possible circumstances.”

The University of Sheffield announced that it would be suspending all face to face teaching on Friday (March 13) after a staff member tested positive.