Front Gate set to re-open on Monday September 6

Front Gate is set to re-open at the beginning of Senior Freshers Week for staff and students

Front Gate is set to re-open on Monday September 6.

This will be the first time the gate has been open since the beginning of the pandemic.

The gate is to open on the first day of Senior Freshers Week, September 6, for staff and students. The gate will not be open to members of the public. 

The Nassau Street and Pearse Street entrances are currently open for students and staff and they must present their ID cards to gain entry into campus. Visitors to the Old Library may also enter through the Nassau Street gate.

It is understood that students and staff will also need to present their ID cards to enter campus through Front Gate.

This news comes after Provost Linda Doyle announced last week that students would be able to “come and go” on campus, despite College previously saying students would be “requested not to attend” campus when they were not timetabled to be in class.

Students will not need to have proof of a library or study space booking to come on campus and College will not be “insisting students leave campus once lectures, laboratories and tutorials are finished”.

However, College is encouraging staff to “continue to work from home where agreed or required and where appropriate”.

Mask wearing will not be made mandatory for students whilst outdoors on campus.

Last week, Doyle announced College’s plans for a two-phase return to campus, which differs from the approach of other universities.

Trinity is to open on September 6 with a “more cautious” approach. These regulations are to last up to and including Reading Week, starting October 25.

From November 1, College intends to “relax regulations further to allow for many more in-person campus experiences”. This was previously reported by Trinity News after the news was leaked in a school of physics email, but a College spokesperson later denied it.

In the first half of the semester, lecture sizes will be limited, with each individual school to decide on the precise maximum class size.

The Library and study spaces are to continue to operate with two metre social distancing and mandatory mask wearing. The 1 hr 45 minute limit and booking system will also remain in place.

Kate Henshaw

Kate Henshaw is current Editor-in-Chief of Trinity News, and a graduate of Sociology and Social Policy. She previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.