Oxford University's Balliol college converts its historic dining hall to keep students safe from coronavirus

The dining hall of one of Britain's most prestigious university colleges has been given a social distance upgrade.

The University of Oxford's Balliol College, where Boris Johnson studied, has installed screens between places to maintain social distancing.  

The college, which has around 370 undergraduates, is also providing takeaways for students who don't want to sit down to eat.

Pictures from inside the historic hall show how far things have come since the college's inception in 1263, with only 60 students able to eat in the Hall. 

The college, which has around 370 undergraduates, is also providing takeaways for students who don't want to sit down to eat, and will now only allow 60 students to eat in the Hall at any one time 

The University of Oxford's Balliol College, where Boris Johnson studied, has installed screens between places to maintain social distancing with signs on them to indicate if they're 'clean' or 'dirty' 

Balliol, one of Oxford's oldest colleges, founded in 1263, has put screens up between each space for people to eat, with mats indicating if it's 'clean' or 'dirty' 

The college's Front of House team set up the hall for re-opening on October 5 (pictured before Covid measures were introduced), and all meals will need to be booked at the hall

Balliol, one of Oxford's oldest colleges, has put screens up between each space for people to eat, with signs laif on each table indicating if it's 'clean' or 'dirty'.   

Posting on Instagram, it said: 'To maintain social distancing, there are screens on the tables and only 60 people will be allowed to eat in Hall at any time.

'Each person will sit down at a space marked 'clean' and when they've finished turn the page over to show as 'dirty', so that no one sits at a dirty space.'

The college's Front of House team set up the hall for re-opening on October 5, and all meals will need to be booked at the hall.   

The college's Front of House team set up the hall for re-opening on October 5 to accommodate social distancing and all meals will need to be booked at the hall (pictured before the measures) 

How the Hall at one of Oxford University's oldest colleges looked before the pandemic, where they have now had to put up screens to maintain socially distanced dinners

Only 60 people will be allowed in the Hall at any one time following the pandemic. Pictured before, students eating lunch at long tables in Balliol College Hall