If you have secured a place in student accommodation and are arriving from an ‘amber-list’ country, you will be given early access to our accommodation to complete a 10-day quarantine before the official key collection period of 2-6 September. This is to ensure your student experience is in line with all other students.

Early arrival dates:

Slateford Road & Bainfield

19 August 2021, 10am-5pm

Orwell Terrace (except 24B East Kip House) & Bainfield

20 August 2021, 10am-5pm

If you arrive during these designated dates, you will be able to quarantine within your allocated accommodation prior to your new flatmates arriving between 2-6 September. The only exception to this is for students allocated 24B Orwell Terrace, East Kip House, who will complete their quarantine at Gibson Terrace (Bainfield) before moving into their permanent flat at Orwell Terrace once quarantine has been completed.

Please ensure you keep your flat clean and tidy for your new flatmates arriving at a later date.

To register your arrival with us, please email accommodation@napier.ac.uk with the subject heading “Quarantine – Early Arrival” confirming when you will be arriving in accordance with the dates/times and locations above.

If you are unable to arrive during the dates, times and locations above, please email accommodation@napier.ac.uk with your arrival details, and we will do our best to organise other quarantine arrangements for you. This may mean you are required to quarantine in a temporary flat at Bainfield with other international students before moving to your permanent allocated accommodation once you have completed the quarantine period.

This means that you will not be able to enter your permanent allocated flat until 19 September.

When you arrive in your flat, whether it’s your permanent flat or a temporary one, you must self-isolate for 10 days as per Scottish Government guidelines.

Please ensure you wear a face mask on arrival to the accommodation and make use of the hand sanitising stations. When you arrive in your flat, you will be required to self-isolate within your bedroom as much as possible. When you use the kitchen/communal spaces, remember to maintain social distancing around your flatmates and wear a face covering. When cooking, it is important to wipe down all surfaces and items you use, both before and after. Do not share any utensils.

We have fitted safety signage in our accommodation for all students to follow.

You must travel directly to your accommodation when you arrive at Edinburgh Airport - do not make any stops. You can use public transport, such as Lothian Buses, or use a taxi service which would cost around £25-£30.

Face coverings must be worn at all times when travelling.

As you will need to self-isolate on arrival, you may wish to consider purchasing a bedding pack to be in your room on arrival, if you have not already done so. We’ve teamed up with UniKitOut to offer students bedding options, with 10% off using the code NAPIER10. Alternatively, we would recommend you bring bedding with you or arrange for bedding to be delivered soon after you arrive.

Please note: We cannot accept parcels on behalf of students, so please ensure to arrange for any deliveries to arrive once you are in the accommodation and able to receive them.

You should also bring enough toiletries to get you started, as during your self-isolation period, you will not be able to leave the accommodation to go to the shop for these. If you're bringing your own toiletries to use, make sure to pack them in your main luggage rather than your hand luggage so they are not confiscated at airport security.

To avoid leaving your flat during your quarantine period, you should organise for groceries to be delivered to you after you arrive. Options include supermarket deliveries or fresh food boxes.

There are a range of services that provide food boxes, such as Hello Fresh. These food boxes offer a range of fresh ingredients you can use in different recipes to get you through your first few days in accommodation. You can set dietary preferences and choose the ingredients you'd like to make your meals.

If you'd like to use this service, please order via the Hello Fresh website at least 72 hours in advance, and specify a delivery date for once you are in the accommodation so you are available to receive it. You should provide your own name and the address you have been allocated.

After you have settled into your accommodation, you will be able to organise food and shopping deliveries to your address for the quarantine period. To do this, you will need to register with one of the supermarkets and pay by card, so please make sure you have a form of payment that will work in the UK.

If you arrange for food shopping to be delivered to you during our working hours of 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, our accommodation staff will be able to assist if you have any issues receiving your delivery.

Several supermarkets offer a delivery service, including ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

The Student Accommodation team can also provide any assistance you may need once you have arrived and settled into your new home - please don't hesitate to contact us if you need help!

To avoid leaving your flat when you are self-isolating, you should bring enough clothing to allow for your 10-day quarantine period. In the unlikely event you do need our laundry facilities, please do not hesitate to contact our Student Accommodation Team on 0131 455 3482.

It is mandatory for all students to complete PCR tests on day 2 and day 8 of quarantine. Staff will deliver test kits to outside the front door of your flat between 9am and 11am on both days, and will then collect samples the following day from outside your flat door between 9am and 11am.

If you require access to medication or essential items, please email accommodation@napier.ac.uk and we will assist with collections and deliveries.

Symptoms of Covid-19

It is important that you remain vigilant to coronavirus symptoms during your stay with us. Key symptoms include:

• A high temperature/fever (37.8c or greater)
• A new, continuous cough
• The loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

Should you have any of the above symptoms, it is imperative that you follow the instructions below:

Return home to Student Accommodation to self-isolate for 10 days - longer, if symptoms persist

When returning home to Student Accommodation, avoid public transport wherever possible

If returning on public transport you must wear a face covering

Send a request for a home test kit via the NHS website or, if you can't go online, call NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816 or 0300 303 2713. Don't wait to see if you feel better before booking a test.

Notify your Student Accommodation team via phone or email immediately to alert them to your situation so that they can support you and communicate to others who may also have to self-isolate.

More information

Please familiarise yourself with the Scottish Government's Ready Scotland support for individuals or households in isolation.

What we will do for you if you are self-isolating

If you are living with us in Edinburgh Napier Accommodation:

• We will support you with food and medicine deliveries
• We will call you daily to see if you how you are feeling and what we can do to help
• We will notify your flatmates as they will also have to self-isolate for 10 days
• We will notify the University so that they are aware of your situation

Flats with shared cooking and bathroom facilities are considered a household.

• Face coverings must be worn in all communal areas within the residencies such as corridors, lifts and external common areas. This does not apply to the internals of your flats such as kitchen, hallway or bedrooms
• Physical distancing won't be required within your flats. However, please be respectful of use of kitchen space to avoid overcrowding
• Household members should follow hygiene protocols, hand washing, cleaning of kitchen surfaces and all shared spaces regularly

You can now meet socially in groups of up to:

• 8 people from 4 households in your home or theirs
• 10 people from 4 households in an indoor public place like a café, pub or restaurant
• 15 people from 15 households outdoors

You do not need to physically distance from family and friends in a private home or outdoors. However, your gathering should maintain at least 1m distance from all others. You need to maintain at least 1m distance from other households in all indoor public settings.

You can read the full list of Level 0 restrictions on the Scottish Government website.

Remember that your flat is considered a household.

No. Within the setting of a current pandemic it is not considered appropriate that students are offered moves between flats due to increased risks. This decision has been taken in conjunction with the University Health and Safety team.

Visit the Scottish Government's website for guidance on travel to and from student accommodation. You should, however, regularly check this site as guidance is subject to change.

We have a team of accommodation staff and resident assistants who are here to support you with what you need. Please check your kitchen noticeboard for details or visit our Accommodation Contact Us page.

The University's Student Wellbeing team can also provide you with services during this time, including drop-in phone sessions, counselling and workshops aimed at giving you the support and resources you need. For more information, visit our Wellbeing pages.