Covid: Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden defends students’ university return

The culture secretary has defended students going back to university in England after a union labelled the situation “shambolic”.

Oliver Dowden told the Andrew Marr Show it was important students did not “give up a year of their life” by not going.

Labour has called on the government to consider pausing the return after Covid outbreaks meant thousands of students had to isolate in their accommodation.

A scientist who advises the government said the situation was “inevitable”.

Mr Dowden said: “Young people have paid a huge price during this crisis and I think it is only fair to try and get them back – we have got clear guidelines for them to follow.”

It comes as the UK recorded a further 5,693 cases and 17 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

The number of deaths recorded over the weekend tends to be lower than during the week because of reporting delays.

Prof Mark Woolhouse, who sits on the government’s pandemic modelling group SPI-M, said the situation was “entirely predictable” and had been modelled.

He said students were not to blame for the outbreaks and with students converging from around the country it was “inevitable there would be some spread”.

Modelling showed the risk areas were first-year halls of residence and face-to-face teaching, he said.

Meanwhile, three more Welsh counties are to face tighter coronavirus restrictions on Monday – which will mean almost two-thirds of the Welsh population will be under local lockdowns.

Students have been told to isolate in their accommodation at several universities in England and Scotland, including around 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University – where students said they were being prevented from leaving by security guards and police.

Ellie Jackson, a first-year at Manchester Met, said: “We knew it would be different but we didn’t think it would be this different.

“We’ve been told, if we leave, we can’t come back.”

Fellow student Jaimick Shah said his flatmates had all tested negative but still had to isolate. “We’re struggling to get food because everyone is trying to order it at the same time,” he said.

Manchester Met said it had communicated with students “as soon as we could but it was not possible to give significant advanced notice due to the requirement to implement the isolation almost immediately”.

The university said it was “urgently preparing a care package” and financial support for affected students to ensure they had the essentials they needed.

The local University and College Union branch said it had raised concerns that “the mass return of students would inevitably see institutions become Covid incubators” – but it said these warnings went unheeded.

In Scotland there are outbreaks at the University of Glasgow, where 600 students have been isolating, as well as at universities in Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Coronavirus restrictions in Scotland currently ban people from visiting other households in their home – meaning students cannot return home to another address in Scotland from university accommodation for a short stay without a reasonable excuse, such as a family emergency.

However, new guidance issued by the Scottish government clarifies that students can return home on a long-term basis.

Students who have been told to self-isolate can return home if they need support to do so, including physical, financial or mental health support.