Coronavirus Information

Last updated 06 January 2023 10:58

Travel to Leeds for In-Person Participation

The rules and guidance on entering the UK from another country are frequently updated and may change prior to IMC 2023.

At time of writing, there are no restrictions or requirements for people entering the UK. However, this may change at any time. Therefore, before traveling we would advise you to review the detailed information on international travel into England available on the Government website here. It is vital that you review this information regularly and ensure you have the most up-to-date information to be able to adhere to any rules in force at the time of travel. 

The government may, at any time, introduce rules for entry to the UK either based on approved vaccination status, whether the traveler has stayed or traveled through a ‘red list’ country prior to arrival, or some other conditions. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to check regularly what the rules are for arrivals for the country you will be traveling from (plus any countries visited or traveled through prior to arrival in the UK) at the time of travel.

Please note that all of the above guidance applies where your point of entry to the UK is in England (which Leeds falls within). The rules for arrival into airports in other UK Nations (Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) can vary, their rules can be found as follows:

• Wales: https://gov.wales/rules-foreign-travel-and-wales-coronavirus-covid-19-html
• Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-international-travel-quarantine/pages/red-amber-and-green-list-countries/
• Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice#toc-1

Coronavirus Controls on Campus

From 1 April 2022, the UK government has removed all remaining domestic restrictions in England. While it is possible that control measures may be reintroduced as a result of either a spike in cases or the emergence of a new variant, at present, we can only continue to plan the IMC and advise delegates based on current legislation. 

Here at the University of Leeds, the University community remains aware of the risk coronavirus presents and ask that attendees and staff continue to take a community-focused and responsible approach to controlling the spread of the virus.

Therefore, we ask that if you have symptoms of coronavirus – or any other infectious disease such as a cold, flu or stomach bug – that you do not attend the IMC. In this circumstance, we will do our best to facilitate virtual participation in line with our Registration Terms & Conditions.

We recognise that individuals may choose to take certain precautions, such as continuing to wear a face covering. In line with our existing Policy on Dignity and Mutual Respect, we ask that all attendees are mindful of the needs of others. Remember that there may be many reasons why someone may choose to wear a face covering.

Please note that, since asymptomatic testing is no longer freely available in England, it will be individual delegates’ responsibility to undertake such testing, should they wish and be able to do so.

We will continue to work with colleagues across the University to ensure that the IMC complies with evolving best practice for facilitating large international events in line with the current UK government guidance. 

If you have any concerns about your participation as an in-person delegate as a result of the latest legislative changes in England, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the IMC team by emailing imc@leeds.ac.uk.  

Remote (Virtual) Participation

In late May 2023, we will be publishing the final edition of the IMC 2023 Programme which will specify which sessions are wholly in-person, those that are hybrid, and those where all participants are taking part remotely. At time of writing, around 90% of speakers have told us they will be attending in-person.  

The deadline for switching mode of participation is Friday 05 May, 23:59 (BST). If you have already registered and wish to switch modes, please consult our Registration Terms & Conditions for full details. 

When submitting your paper or session proposal, we asked you if your paper, session, or round table session will be run in-person, virtual, or a combination of both. Confirmed speakers received details of their intended mode of participation in the email of acceptance which was sent out in December 2022. Virtual papers were indicated beneath each paper in the paper details list for each session. If no participants were listed as virtual, this means that the session will be wholly in-person.