Universities return ‘is the biggest Covid spread risk’
Students returning to study at universities and colleges has been billed as the biggest threat of Covid-19 b eing transmitted across Scotland.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued the warning with thousands of new and returning students to b e welcomed to cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Nicola Sturgeon warned that the return of colleges and universities in the coming months could pose the biggest threat of increased Covid-19 transmission in Scotland.
The warning came as Scotland announced its highest death toll since June 30 when the First Minister announced that three more people had died following a positive test for the virus.
Speaking during herd aily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said that while all aspects of life which could increase transmission wor - ryher,s he believes that the return of students to cities and towns will “likely” have the largest impact on new cases of Covid-19 in the coming months.
Universities across S cotland are expected to welcome thousands of new and returning students to cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, both with multiple univerities.
Academics will be expected to teach using a blended learning approach, not too dissimilar to plans initially proposed for mainstream schools, with some universities employing “bubble” systems where students will be placed within a group to interact with for lectures and practical work.
Students will be expected to wear face coverings in communal areas, including corridors of student accommodation blocks, with student flats and potentially entire floors of catered student accommodation blocks considered one “household” in Covid-19 terms.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Just to be blunt about it I am concerned about everything that potentially increases transmission.
“We knew that schools could do that, we know that ever y restriction we have lifted had the potential to increase transmission and if we look ahead over the next month then the return of universities and colleges is probably the thing that is likely to have the biggest impact on that.
“Yes I am concerned but I also know that we can’t keep life locked down forever.”
The First Minister added that “blunt instruments” could be used to ensure the virus does not spread, potentially leaving open the possibility of local lockdowns in university towns.
She said: “The bottom line here is this is not a case of do you keep the virus suppressed or not, it is a case of how do we do that and if we don’t manage to do it through these ways which involve all of us behaving in responsible ways, we will have no option but to go back to blunter instruments again and none of us want to do that.”
Overall, a total of 176 new positive cases were registered in Scotland yesterday including a positive case“in every mainland health board area” across the country, Ms Sturgeon said.
The total number of cases is 21,719, while a total of 2,499 people have died from the disease in Scotland.
Following on from her decision to impose further restrictions on Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, alongside continued measures in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbar tonshire, Ms Sturgeon said the “really unwelcome” decision to impose more lock down restrictions was a “proportionate” response to rising coro - navirus cases. The measures bar people from visiting other households in these areas and also prohibit them from visiting homes in other local authorities.
“Overall, I believe that they represent a proportion ate and hopefully effective – but also an absolutely nec essary – response to a worrying increase in C ovid -19 across these areas,” she said.
The First Minister also criticised the “really dangerous delusion” that rising numbers of cases among younger people should not be a concern.
“The risk of a young person getting seriously ill or dying is thankfully lower, but it is not zero, and I would ask people of all ages to remember that,” she said.