Post-Pandemic World in the U.K: Facts to know before entering the Student Accommodation

After all the hard work and invested time, students are finally lining up to travel to their respective study destinations. Universities have eased their norms considering a betterment in the pandemic situation and keeping in mind the academic loss students of various age groups have already suffered. However, the challenges do not seem to end, whether related to paperwork or the dilemma to choose the suitable vaccine before beginning to travel.

The question remains, whether buying good & comprehensive health insurance for international students alone is the ultimate task, or are their challenges after a student enters the study destination- The Accommodation. Generally, students enroll for accommodation in their universities post getting admission. It becomes easier and safe to live inside campus premises, especially when traveling from another country and knowing nothing about the place.

However, some students find living inside campus expensive than living in a shared apartment or student housing. Being a student, it is always tough to find suitable accommodation. It should not only be about surviving but being comfortable for the next couple of years with their surroundings. Hence, students live in small student housing apartments where they get an environment similar to their campus, and the journey becomes more manageable.

However, the pandemic has made these students question the safety of these housing apartments compared to campus accommodation. The universities are cautious about the safety of their students and other staff members. Nevertheless, these small housing apartments have already incurred losses due to worldwide lockdown as students began evacuating urgently to move to their home country. Hence, the entire process caused the housing owners to suffer monetary consequences.

In this article, the Student Cover Team would discuss the safety of these accommodations and what a student must check before deciding on living in these housing apartments.

How Safe are these Student Housing Apartments?

It is now necessary for every international student to adapt to the new normal of their home country and globally wherever they go. The new standard rules are also applicable to the accommodation they choose to spend the next few years in the U.K.

Things are safe till we are sure of checking and rechecking our and the place’s hygiene. The pandemic has taught us to maintain cleanliness and keep our living surroundings shining like a crystal. This is the pro-tip one needs to follow while searching for housing accommodation in an expensive country like the U.K. The country sure is a lot more ‘luxurious as it goes, but it takes time and patience to find something cheap and good.

Let us look into some basic practices that one can do to make sure that they are safe in their student housing accommodation. Since there is a prevailing threat of COVID infection looming around, these practices could keep one safe.

Things to do while looking for a Student Housing Accommodation in the U.K

As an international student, one should be cautious about specific things beyond respecting culture, values and maintaining discipline when staying in the U.K to pursue higher education. Finding a suitable student accommodation outside the university campus would be a challenge, especially in the post COVID world. Student Housing accommodations generally are owned privately. There might be an unforeseen risk of catching the infection lurking around inside these housing.

However, as per the sources, U.K student housing facilities are ready to welcome international students with their unique facilities for a safe and hygienic stay amidst the crisis of COVID-19. These housing accommodations are few things that students should know before beginning to travel to the U.K for their fall semester.

Here is what the students need to be aware of:

Maintaining a Hygiene Measure

Students need not worry about this since the U.K is diligently following the safety measure even in the student housing quarter. From time to time, the various private owners of the housing facility are disinfecting the halls, rooms, and washrooms keeping in mind the safety of the international and local students.

These housing facilities ensure to implement markings and other hand-sanitizing systems in several places inside the accommodation. So, they appear to be safe and hygienic, trying to keep the infection as far away as possible.

A helping hand from U.K. Government

U.K. government has implemented the guidelines that no private student accommodation owner or landlord can forcefully evacuate international students during a crisis. Legally, no entity can force the students to leave the housing facility, even if the contract period is over, the rent is not paid, or any other major crisis.

The landlords/facility owners need to provide the students with a six-month notice in case of a discrepancy. If students find it challenging to pay the rent, which they are liable to pay, they must inform the landlords. However, the facility owners need to check if the students have any repair or environmental issues that require to be fixed considering the longer duration of stay they would do in a distant land.

Get to know the mandatory testing Isolation Color-based Guidelines

Every U.K traveling student should know about the COVID isolation travel restriction guidelines followed in the country. They have employed a Traffic light System for isolation & COVID testing mandated on the countries globally based on their infection level. The decided colors are- Green, Amber, and Red.

People traveling from Red zone countries are only allowed inside the United Kingdom if they are the registered residence of the state/nation. However, others are barred from entering. As for Green and Amber color, countries that fall into these zones can begin traveling with necessary measures and testing. All those students from the Green and Amber zone, including India, get their vaccine shots adequately. However, U.K universities are providing vaccine facilities to international students through their campus vaccine drive.

Reaching out to College Student’s Union or University for Specific Aid and Services

Every university has a student union formed to assist international students with housing problems, environmental issues, assistance during self-isolation, etc. Students who are made to follow the mandatory self-isolation guideline in the country may feel overwhelmed due to not attending classes or even staying in their housing facility.

The students can then also reach out to their university and other education advisors who could help with online classes, study guides, etc.; while one is in self-quarantining mode, they would be saved from missing out on initial sessions.

Let’s Wrap Up!

These are some of the essential things to remember even before one enters their housing facility in the U.K. Remember that universities and government are doing everything in their power to help the students feel less overwhelmed in this post-pandemic world. The U.K government ensures the safety of international students coming to pursue their education in the country while also being away from their homes.

Every student needs to get their facts straight before leaving home so that while in trouble, they know where they can find assistance and solution.

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