Outbreak More than 900 students now test positive for coronavirus

MORE than 900 students at the University of Bristol have now tested positive for coronavirus, according to the latest figures.

The outbreak among the university’s community was first confirmed on October 7 and there are now two student accommodation buildings in the city in lockdown due to the virus spreading there.

For a week now, the university has been providing daily updates on the number of known cases among its staff and students and it has now been five days since the university reported a daily rise of more than a hundred among its students.

The latest update from the University of Bristol yesterday said 913 students have now tested positive for Covid-19, which is a daily rise of 25.

The university has also released the figures for the weekend, with 48 new cases being confirmed on Saturday and 51 on Sunday.

In comparison, Tuesday and Wednesday last week both saw daily rises of more than 125 new cases.

The number of staff members with coronavirus has risen by four since Friday and now stands at 14.

“Ten of the affected staff have been working from home and not been on campus,” the university said. “Four staff members have been working from home and on campus.”

Last week, a student at the University of Bristol claimed they are running out of food in her flat after not receiving any support from the university six days after testing positive for coronavirus.

A staff member at the University of Bristol has also claimed no preparations were made in advance and described staff as ‘incredibly overwhelmed and operating in emergency mode’.

On October 9 The Courtrooms student halls went into lockdown due to the virus spreading there.

The city centre halls of residence went into lockdown after 40 students living there tested positive for

Covid-19 and, since then, a second student accommodation building – one block of four flats at Hiatt Baker, in Stoke Bishop – has been instructed to quarantine.

The University of the West of England has reported 41 cases in the past week, with the latest figures published on Sunday revealing a daily rise of five cases.

UWE students moved into halls last week, which is a possible explanation for the big disparity in coronavirus cases at the two universities in Bristol.

An academic at the University of the West of England has claimed the university isn’t taking coronavirus seriously, saying there was a real anxiety and nervousness among staff about going back to face-to-face teaching next week.

Are you a student or do you work at one of the universities in Bristol? Our reporter Estel would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with her directly on estel. farellroig@reachplc.com