King’s students test Covid-19 positive after KCLSU event

On Monday evening, King’s College London confirmed that four King’s students have tested positive for coronavirus following a KCLSU student event they attended. The students and all those who attended the event will self isolate following the advice of Public Health England. The students involved were kept anonymous to respect their privacy.

The event was hosted at a KCLSU venue and followed government coronavirus guidance, including tables restricted to groups of six, social distancing, and regular sanitisation.

King’s stated that their Covid-19 response team “are working… to identify and get in touch with anyone who has been in close contact with those affected.” They also added that the university will support the students that are self-isolating and look after their wellbeing.

In spite of the incident, timetabled teaching and other scheduled on-campus activities will continue as normal. University buildings are also open, and King’s stated that “…no action is necessary at this time.”

The update also stated that the university recognised that cases of Covid-19 on campus were likely and that they have “planned accordingly.” King’s Covid-19 management plan is a detailed, three-level framework that outlines the university’s response to various contamination situations. Level One of the plan details the management of an individual positive case, Level Two details the management of multiple positive cases on a single campus, and Level Three details the management of multiple positive cases across more than one campus. Across the three levels, the preventive framework contains plans for possibly moving to online teaching only, working remotely except for essential staff and possibly, the closure of some of King’s buildings.

Students were urged to fill in the King’s self-reporting form if they were self-isolating or developed coronavirus-like symptoms. They were also asked to direct further queries about current measures to their respective department or manager.

The update ended by stating how the university knows the new information is “unsettling to hear,” but that the measures taken are “part of the systems we have developed and tested to protect our community and those around us.”

More information from King’s regarding Covid-19 can be found here.

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