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UK uni students angry at being isolated
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As authorities sought to contain COVID-19 outbreaks at British universities on Sunday, some students complained they were being 鈥渋mprisoned鈥 in their dormitories and politicians debated whether young people should be allowed to go home for Christmas.
Students at universities in Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh 鈥 who have returned to campus in the past few weeks 鈥 are being asked to self-isolate in their residence halls, with security guards at some schools preventing young people from leaving their buildings.
While students at Glasgow University greeted the lockdown with humor, posting signs asking passers-by to 鈥渟end beer,鈥 those in Manchester had a darker message, taping 鈥淗MP MMU鈥 in their windows, suggesting the dormitory had become 鈥淗er Majesty鈥檚 Prison Manchester Metropolitan University.鈥
Dominic Waddell, 21, a first-year filmmaking student at MMU, said some students didn鈥檛 even receive e-mails informing them about the lockdown.
鈥淭here was a security guard that just arrived at the gate of our accommodation and he wasn鈥檛 letting anybody leave, not really explaining what was going on,鈥 Waddell said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying the safety and well-being of our students and staff and the local community is our top priority, but it doesn鈥檛 really seem like that if they haven鈥檛 allowed us time to prepare for this.鈥
The lockdowns come as more students headed back to campuses across the country, and some observers criticized the government鈥檚 decision to reopen universities despite forecasts that this would lead to virus outbreaks. The government defended the decision, saying it had put clear guidelines in place to protect students and staff.
鈥淵oung people have paid a huge price in this crisis. I think it鈥檚 only fair to try to get them back,鈥 Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told the BBC鈥檚 Andrew Marr program.
The controversy is the latest to embroil Prime Minister Boris Johnson鈥檚 government as the spread of COVID-19 accelerates across the UK. Johnson last week announced a 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants throughout England, along with other restrictions on social interactions, but many health experts said the measures didn鈥檛 go far enough.
Young people have been particularly hard hit, even though they are less likely to become seriously ill.
The closure of schools in spring semester canceled national achievement tests and threw university admissions into disarray.
First-year students have had to forego social events at the start of their college careers, and the job prospects for graduates look bleak as unemployment rises.
Now university students are facing increased restrictions amid clusters of COVID-19 cases on campuses that have already reopened. With health experts saying the outbreaks were entirely foreseeable, the debate has begun over whether students will be allowed to return home for Christmas.
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