As the UK embarks upon a second national lockdown, university students across the country are being told not to return home.
The number of Covid-19 cases within UK universities is fast approaching 40,000. As the figure continues to rise, is it right for students to stay at university? More importantly, is it safe for them to do so?
Keeping students at university could help prevent the further spread of Coronavirus to areas of the UK where there are much fewer cases; students travelling across the country en masse pose a risk to their families and local communities. According to local council data, infection rates within universities are thought to be up to seven times higher than the infection rates of the wider local community.
Although infection rates are high within the student communities, keeping them in one place is able to somewhat partially control the spread of the virus. Roughly 1.2 million students attend university in a different region to where they call home, and the migration of a group this large could seriously impact the UK’s already high number of Covid-19 cases.
Students at risk
“This has already been a challenging year, particularly for first-year students.”
Conversely, does the risk of spreading the disease – and it is only a risk, as travelling with caution into another area of lockdown does not necessarily equal new cases – outweigh the consequences for students forced to remain at university?
This has already been a challenging year, particularly for first-year students. The A-level results fiasco this summer caused an unsettling start before university had even begun. Many students unfairly missed out on their university of choice, only to spend much of first term in prolonged periods of isolation. Now they face the prospect of not being able to return home to their families.
With teaching being moved almost entirely online, students are contemplating the purpose of remaining at university, when they could be working from the comfort of their own home with access to familial support networks. The government’s removal of the cap on university admission numbers, following the A-level results blunder, has increased intake. More students in halls and on campus means a higher chance of passing the virus between one another and less social distancing.
“loneliness and homesickness are common feelings for students”
No matter what the general advice from the government is, many students will naturally decide to return home. Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of so many people, student or not. The start of a new academic year often marks the start of a new living arrangement for many students, be it university halls or house shares. Not getting along with new housemates, loneliness and homesickness are all valid and common feelings for students under normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic.
The charity Mind reported that young people were more likely to be struggling with their mental health than older adults during lockdown. Just over two-thirds of young people aged 13-24 felt that their mental health worsened during lockdown. This includes those who would not have considered themselves to struggle with mental health prior to Covid-19.
Mind reported the top concerns causing a deterioration in mental health in young people were: feeling bored/restless, not being able to see friends, not being able to go outside apart from essential activities, feeling lonely and anxious for the welfare of families and friends. Concerns that will only be intensified over the next four weeks if students are to have their freedom of movement restricted.
What is being done?
Thankfully, getting students home has become a political priority. The National Union of Students (NUS) has said that students should have the choice of being able to go home safely for lockdown and is urging for a clear and coherent plan from the government in order to do so.
“It’s a tough choice between doing what’s right for themselves but also thinking about loved ones at home.”
The BBC has reported that a new rapid testing system is being developed and is currently being trialled at Durham and De Montfort University. It aims to identify students with coronavirus before they are showing symptoms, delivering results as quick as in 30 minutes. Students will be more likely able to return home if this new testing system can be rolled out across the country, with the added knowledge that they are not risking the health of their family and community.
Overall, it seems the question of whether students are safe at university really depends on the individual. It’s a tough choice between doing what’s right for themselves but also thinking about loved ones at home. Furthermore, with the Christmas holidays approaching, the upcoming mass movement of students is inevitable; it’s either now or at the end of term.
Students should adhere to government advice as far as possible, with subjective consideration of mental health and their future. The focus should not be on whether to stay at university or not, but the safest choice possible.
Liv Leishman
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
