Students could be told to stay on at university over Christmas

HEALTH SECRETARY Matt Hancock has warned he is not ruling out asking students to stay on campus over Christmas amid an outbreak of coronavirus clusters in university halls.

At the University of Glasgow, 124 students have tested positive and more than 600 are self isolating across residences.

In Dundee, 500 Abertay University students were asked to self isolate this week in student accommodation where three people tested positive.

Scotland’s national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch warned he was “very concerned” at the situation. In an interview on Times Radio, Mr Hancock was asked whether students would be encouraged to stay at university over Christmas.

He said: “We have said that students should stay at university until Christmas. We don’t rule out the suggestion you just made but I don’t want to have to say that. It is some time off.

“I very much hope that we won’t have to say that but, as I say, I don’t rule it out. The important thing is in the short term. Students, once they’ve gone to university, should stay at university so as not to spread the disease.”

Downing Street also did not rule out such a move in the event of more outbreaks.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “What is important in the event there is a specific outbreak on a campus is that steps are taken to ensure the virus is not spread more widely.”

At the University of Aberdeen, 72 residents in Wavell House have been asked to self- isolate after several students tested positive.

The university said they were being supported with food and supplies and affected areas of the building were having a deep clean.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Prof Leitch said: “I am concerned, very concerned, about higher and further education. I always have been. I was concerned when it came back and I’m concerned now. Predictably, we have cases. Every country in the world that has brought universities back has got cases. We need to be very, very careful. Even though most of those cases will not get serious illness, some of them will and some of them will potentially spread it to the community.”

Health officials in Yorkshire said some students would be faced with a dilemma.

Greg Fell, director of public health for Sheffield, told Times Radio: “Clearly there are going to be times when students do legitimately need to go home for all sorts of reasons. But the recommendation is to stay in place, basically.”

The University and College Union said the Government must look at the experiences of other nations and tell universities to make online learning a default position.

Two further deaths were recorded in Yorkshire yesterday in people who had previously tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the region’s total to at least 2,954.

Nationally, 40 further deaths were reported, bringing the total to 41,902.

I am very concerned. We need to be very, very careful. Scotland’s clinical director Professor Jason Leitch.