Creative spaces, blended learning and limited ‘bedroom’ contact: How return to university will look

University students can expect to be banned from holding large parties in their halls of residence and attend lectures only for priority courses if coronavirus surges on campus, according to new government guidance.

Meanwhile, a health minister has warned young people to be responsible about their activities in the bedroom, as well as in pubs and elsewhere, to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The guidance, updated in the early hours of Thursday, governs the return of thousands of students to campuses across England.

It says universities should help students socialise in virus-secure spaces like campus bars and students’ unions, while also finding “safer social activities” for them, potentially in “creative spaces”.

Students’ “private gatherings” must not breach the new rule of six imposed by Boris Johnson on groups in England, institutions have been told. And they must form their own household bubbles based on the people they share a floor or flat with, or bathroom and kitchen facilities.

And students arriving from countries that are not on Westminster’s quarantine exemption list must self-isolate for two weeks, the guidance adds, tasking universities with creating “systematic arrangements for the provision of food and drink to avoid the necessity of them leaving their room or accommodation”.

The lengthy new document also covers laboratory teaching, library use, athletic provision, peforming arts and the movement of students around campus and their local areas.

The government is “deeply concerned” about potential virus spread at the start of the new university term, health minister Lord Bethell told parliament on Wednesday.

He added: "Some of that spread will take place in universities, and I pay tribute to the efforts of vice-chancellors to put in place social distancing arrangements in universities; we hope that they will have an impact.

“However, some of the effect is in their social life – in pubs, clubs and bedrooms up and down the country. That is the responsibility of the students themselves, and we are looking at measures to enhance and enforce the social distancing measures that will stop the spread of this disease.”

Asked about students’ bedroom activities on Thursday, Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “The PM would urge students, along with the rest of the population, to follow the updated rules and guidance and in particular to follow the rule of six on campus.”

Also on Thursday Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, praised the work of institutions in preparing for the return of students, calling it a “mammoth effort”. But she also warned students and event organisers they faced serious police action if they broke the rules by setting up large gatherings. 

“Health advice only works if we all follow it,” she said. "I urge students, just like the wider public, to do their bit and act responsibly to ensure campuses can remain open for them to use and enjoy."

A spokesperson for the Russell Group, which represents two dozen of the UK’s top universities, welcomed the new guidance but urged ministers “to ensure that sufficient local testing capacity is in place”.

The University of Exeter, part of the Russell Group, plans to offer tests to students and staff who show symptoms. Bosses have agreed a deal with Halo for the use of saliva-based PCR tests which, it is claimed, can provide “both same-day and next-day results”.