University students in England returned to in-person learning on campus this week, following a year of restrictions on in-person learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The government announced last week that students could return to their universities for in-person teaching and learning from May 17th.
The Belfast Telegraph has reported that all students who return to campus are being encouraged to take three coronavirus tests – three to four days apart – at testing centres for asymptomatic patients. Students will then be expected to take tests around twice per week for the foreseeable future.
The UK government faced criticism from the higher education sector for delaying a return to in-person campus activities. However, the UK Universities Minister Michelle Donelan argued that students moving around the UK could spread the virus further.
The Belfast Telegraph also reported that figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in England indicate that the majority of students in England have returned to their college accommodation. The same figures also show that the number of students living with their parents has decreased to a third.
This move coincides with the continued rollout of the coronavirus vaccines in the UK — which is currently much further ahead than Ireland with almost 37 million people having received at least one dose of the vaccine so far.
Last month, the Irish Independent reported that Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said that the two-metre social distancing rule would likely be replaced with a “one metre with a mask” rule.
Harris also said that he would like students to have more certainty on reopening by June at the latest.
Universities are currently working on plans to open up universities next year, after the coronavirus pandemic caused them to largely shut down over the past 12 months.
The plans in Ireland will likely rely on an effective vaccine rollout programme during the summer.
Universities had similar plans to have a “one metre and a mask” rule and in place last September. However, the government abruptly scrapped them, after cases spiked in the autumn.
It introduced harsh restrictions, banning almost all on-campus teaching.
In November, Harris said that his “priority going into the new year will be in increasing on-campus activity as much as we can and as safely as we can”, specifically targeting vulnerable groups that are more likely to drop out, according to the Irish Times.
However, the harsh restrictions have persisted in universities, meaning students have largely remained off campus for the year.
