Anger at refusal to test students from abroad

Rennie hits out at Scottish Government after suggestion was dismissed – while St Andrews student leader insists testing would make return to university life safer

The Scottish Government has come under fire for rejecting pleas to introduce coronavirus testing for international students.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie had called for students coming to St Andrews and other universities to be tested on arrival and again after five days to ensure they were Covid-19 free.

The North East Fife MSP said the SNP had failed tolistenand accused ministers of being underhand by slipping the decision through amid the programme for government announcement.

Mr Rennie said: “Rejecting the constructive suggestion on Tuesday in the noise of the programme for government was especially underhand and lacked the kind of open government we deserve to have.”

The Scottish Government said testing would not guarantee a person would not go on to become infectious and reiterated that anyone arriving from abroad should quarantine for 14 days.

More than 41% of St Andrews University students are from overseas and the institution has unveiled a rapid response team to deal with any suspected infection.

Dundee University welcomes students from 145 countries, while Abertay University also has a significant cohort of international learners.

Mr Rennie said it would be the biggest movement of people since lockdown at a time when the pandemic was still a real threat.

He was backed by St Andrews Student Association president Dan Marshall, who said testing people whether or not they were showing Covid-19 symptoms would keep people safe.

“We want to return to university life and to teaching but this must be done safely,” he said.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Covid-19 has a 14 day incubation period – if a person tests negative before the end of the incubation period, they could still go on to develop the disease and infect others.

“That is why anyone, including university staff and students, arriving in Scotland from overseas must self-isolate for 14 days unless they have travelled from a country on the quarantine exemption list.”

Picture: Fraser Bremner. North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie hit out at the Scottish Government after his call to test international students was rejected.