In response to Matt Hancock this morning (Thursday) refusing to
rule out lockdowns for university students over Christmas, the
University and College Union (UCU) said the government must
listen to the science, look at the experiences from other
countries and tell universities to make online learning their
default position immediately.
UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said: ‘Unless the government
acts now, thousands more students will move onto campus this
weekend. It is completely irresponsible to let students go back
to university when outbreaks have already started.
'The Westminster government should be working to prevent
unnecessary Covid outbreaks, not creating the conditions for
them. Students and their parents will be rightly worried about
the possibility of being locked down in an unfamiliar area over
Christmas.
‘Locking students down at Christmas is based on a flawed boarding
school vision of university that ignores the fact thousands of
staff and students commute every day around the UK to and from
university. Threatening to lock students up over the festive
period is not the solution.
‘The scientific evidence, and the experience of other countries,
shows that a failure to act now will intensify the public health
crisis. We are already seeing outbreaks before term has even
started in places like Liverpool.
‘Ministers need to tell universities to halt in-person teaching,
stop more students moving onto campus and issue clear guidance to
move the majority of work online, as in other workplaces.
Universities should not try and hide behind the government’s
failings on this issue though. Any institution that refuses to
put the health of its staff, students and local community first
is failing its basic civic duty.’
This morning health minister Matt Hancock told the BBC the
government refused to rule out telling university students not to
go home at Christmas to avoid spreading infection.
iNews
reported that the latest minutes from the Scientific Advisory
Group for Emergencies (SAGE) raised concerns that students will
spread the disease to their local communities when they return
home for the Christmas break, and urged ministers to develop
policies to mitigate the risks posed.
