Student and Christmas

It's not a bad idea Grandma2213 but it would rely on universities getting really tough. By that I mean having a contract that any breaking of the rules and the student is booted out immediately. Would students comply with that? Could it be enforced?
A few of my family are in the military and when new recruits come for training it is made very clear that any misdemeanors are punished and you're made to leave. These kids are the same age as students, they get the message loud and clear and the vast majority accept and learn self discipline. It could work for students, but they would say they didn't sign up for that.

Here's a controversial idea. It is my understanding that most students are unlikely to be very ill or be asymptomatic so let them mix socially within student halls of residence or houses instead of isolating them in their rooms but keep them apart from the local population as far as possible. Make sure they have food or necessary medication or even allow parties. Many of them could continue with their online studies if they are well enough and can keep in touch with family through technology as they would probably do anyway. Obviously any with underlying health problems should be allowed to go home. Within a month or so thousands of them would develop immunity, at least in the short term and could safely go home for Christmas. Clearly efficient testing would establish who had actually contracted the virus but I wouldn't hold out any hope for that to take place. Remember in the past when we had 'chicken pox' parties - same principle! I shall now don my tin hat and retire.

Isn't this all a lot of panic over rumours? Just because Matt Hancock didn't rule it out doesn't mean that it is government policy or even being considered. Christmas is still a fair way off and there are several options that universities could take to avoid students being locked in.

We are all assuming that the science and statistics behind this ridiculous ill thought out policy are right. As someone pointed out, if the extrapolation of the figures given in that portentious conference last week are right we will have 5 million dead by Decemebr and will have killed off the entire population by early January.

This fear campaign and this stupid stuff about 'not killing your granny' and government by decree is the outward sign of a government and experts completely out of control. Many statistician and epidemiologists at least as well qualified and well regarded as those the government are wedded to dispute the figures being put out by Chris Whitty and his mate.

I am becoming more and more sceptical of the 'science' behind COVID. Currently more people are dying of dementia, heart attacks, strokes and even flu than are dying of COVID. I bought into it entirely when COVID first hit us, stories of 500,000 deaths and so on. But since July I have more and more come to distrust this government and their statisticians of choice, too many people who know and understand the disease and the statistics are speaking up against their policies and statistics.

Please don’t shout at me, Paddyanne.

I can see no reason whatsoever why students can't stay for Christmas, it is one year out of their life. If they go home they will be putting the older generation at risk. So it makes sense for them to stay. And don't say they need to be with their family at Christmas, I have known many on a gap year who were away for Christmas and New Year.

So would you suggest that the students disperse accross the country Sue donim AND SPREAD THE VIRUS WHERE THEY GO? Its sense to keep them in one place ,otherwise they'll be putting their families at risk .

My husband was a university lecturer and he had plenty of students ‘ interrupt’ for various reasons, in non Covid times. It would be easy enough to do that now. As someone else said, students shouldn’t be forgetting what they’ve already learnt, not like younger children. I appreciate it’s hard, but it’s hard for everyone. I agree with Toad

MrsEggy

Some posters seem to think that "students" are some sort of alien race. Two of them are my grandchildren and I am as concerned for their welfare as some of you are for toddlers.
I'm sure their parents will want them home for Christmas and after the first year most students are in independent rentals, not "halls" and couldn't be detained in numerous houses across a city?

I agree with you. Students seem to have become the latest hate figures. I guess it makes a change from foreigners and single mothers.

The trouble with relying on positive tests is that nothing shows up for anyone incubating the virus does it? Quarantine for two weeks before coming home might work , as someone suggested , but hey ho , they will probably all have had it by Christmas anyway.

Toadinthehole For students who had already started a course, it was made very difficult to defer.

I worked with two students last year towards A levels/IB (which, of course, didn't take place) and asked the same question.

Firstly, I don't think they realised what the situation would be. They live in low risk areas in fairly closeted environments at home. The universities promised safe environments.

Secondly, after the debacle of results, prospective students were relieved to have grades and offers and universities wouldn't guarantee the same grade offers to deferred entries.

Thirdly, casual work of the sort students usually do has dried up, certainly in this area. If the students are living with parents, they would not be eligible for Universal Credit and would have to live off their parents.

Fourthly, don't forget that the government has been telling everybody that everything would be OK - that our world beating test and trace system would take care of everything and, yes, of course the government knew what it was doing (ha ha). Its whole rhetoric was about getting things back to normal - we can take it on the chin, we're Brits! Some people wanted to believe all the nonsense and some actually did believe it!

I said this on the other uni thread, I know it’s too late now...but why has ANYONE gone to uni this year? Couldn’t they have waited. All universities should have been shut. On line business only. We’re surrounded by students in our uni City. It’s only a matter of time before everything goes belly up, and we’ll be Covid city too?

Students at Manchester Metropolitan University have put a notice in their window. HMP -MMU
They are being treated like prisoners.

Yes, I agree with you on all of that GrannyGravy13

My post was to clarify that it wasn't NS who made the comment about Christmas, it was Hancock. A journalist asked NS about it at a briefing and she answered along the lines that Christmas was 3 months away and the decisions would be taken later. People keep saying how good she is at spin/presenting/communicating (choose your favourite - I like communicating ) and I think this is a good example.

Thank you Alegrias as Education in Scotland is a devolved issue surely it is down to Scottish Parliament to implement guidelines/laws regarding students and COVID-19.

NS has asked students not to go out socialising in Glasgow and Edinburg this weekend, so ultimately the decision regarding Christmas will be hers to make?

Matt Hancock can only decide for England surely? It will be the Welsh first Minister and the N.I. first Minister who will make the decisions for their Countries?

Erm.....Manchester Metropolitan University?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54289648

Scottish students have been banned from going home right now let alone at Christmas!

Why are they being treated differently from everyone else? I feel so sorry for them, especially the ones who are struggling. In Scotland, some are only 17yo.

Students are not having a great time. The debacle over their 'A' level results and now some are locked in their rooms at university. To give them even more grief they may not be allowed to go home at Christmas.
Some are blaming them for the rise in cases of Covid but it was already rising rapidly before they arrived at their universities.

GrannyGravy13

I am happy to be corrected but I understood that it was Nicola Sturgeons plan to keep students in Scottish Universities of Christmas.

I have not heard anything regarding English, Welsh or Irish Universities as of yet.

I'll correct you then GrannyGravy13. Nicola Sturgeon doesn't have a "plan" to keep students in Scottish Universities at Christmas. She's not the Grinch who Stole Christmas. It was Hancock who said it in response to some questioning on TV.

Maybe this is a good example of why people should listen to the briefings and not believe everything they read in the press.

There is a simple solution. End term a full fortnight before Christmas. Test each student before they go home. Those witha negative test result go home, those with a positive test, do their, up to two weeks, quarantine, are retested and all being well, go home. Special arrangements can be made for the handful locked down for Christmas to be together and have a happy and festive Christmas eve - boxing day.

Some posters seem to think that "students" are some sort of alien race. Two of them are my grandchildren and I am as concerned for their welfare as some of you are for toddlers.
I'm sure their parents will want them home for Christmas and after the first year most students are in independent rentals, not "halls" and couldn't be detained in numerous houses across a city?

~Comes back to adequate testing yet again. They had the summer to get this working and surely should have been prepared. Heaven help us if Dido Harding gets the top job at NHS, which was mooted last week.Doodahs and breweries comes to mind .

Perhaps what students should do is party like mad for the first few weeks and hope they get the virus. Then restrict their social actions for the last 2 weeks of term so that they can go home knowing they are unlikely to be carrying or spreading anything.

Eire (Southern Ireland?) will set its own laws, and guidance, like other nations.

Nothing to do with the United Kingdom.

Exactly, if tests were freely available there's a chance of containing it. But as things are if students dispersed in time for Christmas then it could be a disaster.