UK students 'scared and confused' as halls lock down
Students have spoken of their worry and confusion at being locked down within their university halls, in a situation described by unions as "shambolic".
Up to at least one 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University and hundreds at other institutions, including in Edinburgh and Glasgow, are self-isolating following Covid-19 outbreaks.
In Manchester, students are being prevented from leaving by security.
Universities UK said the wellbeing of students was "the first priority".
Robert Halfon, the conservative chairman of the training Select Committee, said 3,000 students were in lockdown at universities from Dundee to Exeter.
He called for the federal government and its scientific advisers to reassure students and families by setting out the policy for England - and warned having students in lockdown at Christmas would cause "huge anguish".
Mr Halfon said universities should also consider discounts to students who were not being taught face-to-face.
Manchester Met said it had introduced a 14-day self-isolation period at its accommodation at Birley and Cambridge Halls after 127 students tested positive for the virus.
Some students there said these were getting ready to go out on Friday night if they looked outside to see security guards and police, who told them they cannot leave.
First-year Joe Byrne said: "We've had no warning, support or advice from the university about how we get food etc, and instead have already been left completely at night and practically locked against our will."
Megan Tingey said she was not contacted by the university about the lockdown before police resulted in outside her Birley Vine accommodation.
"It was quite scary and confusing," she said. "No one's really told us much and the police arrive aswell with security outside."
Another student, Ellie Jackson, told BBC News she had find out about the halls lockdown in the neighborhood newspaper before receiving an email about any of it - and stressed the need for "more guidance" from the university.
For Ellie, it's the second period of self-isolation she and her five housemates have had to undertake.
"My course is all online - I haven't even been into university," she said. "I possibly could have done this at home. I don't believe it's worth the money at the moment."
In a statement, Manchester Met said it had communicated with students "when we could nonetheless it was not possible to give significant advanced notice as a result of requirement to implement the isolation almost immediately".
"The communications we sent included details about how precisely to access food and other provisions and we've been dealing with other partners, including local supermarkets, during the day to provide additional support," the statement said.
"Our security teams increase patrols to aid the lockdown and we'll take disciplinary action against any students found to have breached requirements."
Meanwhile, students across most of Scotland have already been told not to head to pubs, parties or restaurants over the weekend and Universities Scotland has said students who socialise with anyone outside of their household risk losing their place at university.
A huge selection of students are isolating at Glasgow University as a result of two coronavirus clusters.
The university said it would give you a four-week rent rebate to all or any students in university residences in recognition of the "difficult circumstances" under which they were living.
It said those students would also get £50 each to invest on food and it would invite local mobile food outlets to come quickly to residences.
Reese Chamberlain, a global student at the University of Edinburgh, said his entire block at Holland House was "locked down" after a student tested positive.
"The problem is dire," he said. "I already self-isolated when I arrived here and even then it had been so hard getting basic supplies."
He said there have been an "exodus of students" at night time on Friday, with more than 50 leaving the building.
A spokesperson for the university said it had been "not asking for whole halls of student accommodation to self-isolate" but there have been currently "a small amount of positive cases" and the university was providing care and support to those self-isolating.
University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady described the lockdown at Manchester Met as "the latest catastrophe in a week where wholly predictable - and predicted - Covid outbreaks have caused havoc".
There is "no point encouraging students to come to university to self-isolate for 14 days", she added.
And the National Union of Students (NUS) said students will be able to return to their own families because being "trapped" in university accommodation would only add to their anxiety at an already difficult time.
It needed universities to aid students with food deliveries and offer usage of mental health services.
"We must remember that is happening as the government and universities told students to return to campus and this shambolic situation now demands flexibility," the union said.
Students "should be in a position to leave rental contracts, access online learning or defer, and do what must be done to prioritize their safety", the statement added.
The Department for Education said the federal government was working closely with universities in England to ensure these were prepared for the return of students.
A spokesman said: "Students should follow the most recent health advice, similar to the wider public, which means they should stay at university when they have symptoms; need to isolate; there are additional restrictions imposed locally; or there can be an outbreak on campus or within their accommodation."
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said students were "never to blame" for coronavirus outbreaks but backed universities taking disciplinary action as a "final resort" against those that broke the rules.
Universities UK, which represents 139 institutions, said the health and wellbeing of students, staff and local communities was the first priority for universities, which would continue steadily to follow government guidance.
