Students will be offered Covid swabs so they can go home for Christmas during six-day 'travel window' after lockdown ends of December 2
University students will be offered Covid tests after lockdown ends on December 2 before having a six-day window to travel home for Christmas under the government's evacuation-style plan.
But critics have warned the plans to create a 'travel window' are 'riddled with holes' and 'leave little room for error'.
The plans will see Covid-19 swabs offered between November 30 and December 6.
The 'student travel window' will begin just as England's lockdown finishes on December 2 and it is hoped this will reduce the risk of transmission.
Universities in England have been told to switch from in-person teaching to online classes by early December and then set staggered departure dates between December 3 and 9 to allow families to be reunited.
Jo Grady, the University and College Union general secretary, highlighted the tight timescale for a mass movement of people, adding: 'Allowing just a week for around one million students to travel across the country leaves little room for error.'
The Government said Covid-19 tests will be offered to as many students as possible before they travel home but the establishment of testing capacity will be a 'massive undertaking', an executive dean at Durham University said.
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Students are to be offered swabs before returning home for Christmas, it has been suggested. Pictured above are students at St Andrews University in Scotland
What will the plan involve?
When will teaching end?
Universities will be encouraged to end in-person teaching before December 3
Teaching for rest of term will move online.
When will students go home?
Students will go home in stages between December 3 and December 9 to avoid a mad rush
The English lockdown ends December 2
Will students be tested?
Before going home, as many students as possible will be offered Covid-19 tests.
Swabs will be offered between November 30 and December 6.
Durham University is already running a pilot project for rapid testing.
Lateral Flow Tests deliver results in just 30 minutes .
What about students who don't go home?
Students who remain on campus who test positive for Covid-19 will need to self-isolate in their accommodation for 10 days.
Universities will be told to offer help and support - including affordable food.
Students will have enough time to complete the self-isolation period and return home for Christmas if they test positive for the virus before the travel window.
Students who are told to self-isolate because one of their housemates has tested positive will be able to complete the isolation period away from university if they test negative for coronavirus, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said.
She told BBC Breakfast: 'The same as if you or I got a positive test, they will have to isolate under law and this allows them enough time to be able to do that.
'Again, if their housemates were traced, then they could either get a test and if they get a test and tested negative, what we're saying for students is they will have a bespoke offer that they can then isolate at home, in terms of their parents' home or their carer's home, if they choose to.
'If they are traced and they have a positive test, then yes they will have to isolate on campus or in their university accommodation.'
The 'pre-end-of-term testing' will be offered by NHS Test and Trace, the Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper added that university leaders were told the key objective was to test students so they could make 'informed decisions regarding their return home for Christmas'.
This would, therefore, minimise the risk of 'spreading the virus to vulnerable people at their destination'.
But if a student decides to remain on campus later into the month, they will need to remain in self-isolation in their student accommodation for 10 days if they test positive for coronavirus.
Universities will be asked to provide additional help and support – including affordable food – to students who remain on campus over Christmas.
Dr Grady said the plans were 'riddled with holes' and 'raise as many questions as they answer'.
WHO urges people to be 'careful' when students return to university
Dr David Nabarro, one of the World Health Organisation's special envoys on Covid-19, urged people to be 'careful' when students return to university after Christmas to prevent a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Asked about students returning to university in January, and if there was an argument for keeping students at home for longer, Dr Nabarro told Sky News: 'We did see that there was quite a big increase in cases in Europe in October and November.
'We think that was to do with movements that took place in September, including students coming to university.
'So if there's going to be a big return in January, all I'm going to say is, everybody be careful. Because that's when the virus can really move around quickly.'
He asked people to 'stick with the instructions', such as social distancing, wearing face coverings and self-isolating when ill.
She added: 'If the Government instead told universities to move online now it would provide much more time to stagger the movement of students and better protect the health of staff, students and their wider communities.'
Dr Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer, said: 'The mass movement of students across the country at the end of term presents a really significant challenge within the Covid-19 response.
'The measures announced today will help minimise that risk and help students get home to their families as safely as possible for Christmas. It is crucial that students follow the guidance in order to protect their families and the communities they return to.'
Durham University is already running a pilot project for rapid Covid-19 testing – including identifying those who might be infectious but have no symptoms.
The Lateral Flow Tests, which deliver results in just 30 minutes, uses a nose and throat swab and they are self-administered.
After a voluntary pilot, the university is now exploring whether it is feasible to roll out mass testing across the whole institution before Christmas.
On the Government's plans to establish mass testing capacity on campuses, Professor Jacqui Ramagge, executive dean for Science at Durham University and project sponsor, said: 'I don't think very many will be prepared for this because I think it's a massive undertaking.'
Ms Donelan said: 'We know this Christmas will feel different, and following this incredibly difficult year we are delivering on our commitment to get students back to their loved ones as safely as possible for the holidays.
'We have worked really hard to find a way to do this for students, while limiting the risk of transmission.
Ministers are concerned that the mass exodus of students from universities before Christmas could spread the virus to other parts of the country. Pictured is the Radcliffe Camera, at Oxford University
'Now it is vital they follow these measures to protect their families and communities, and for universities to make sure students have all the wellbeing support they need, especially those who stay on campus over the break.'
In anticipation of the announcement, president of the National Union of Students, Larissa Kennedy, said on Tuesday: 'The government have finally listened to our calls to ensure that students can travel home safely for Christmas.
'We had raised concerns about plans to make students self-isolate for extended periods of time, and the effect this would have on their mental health, so giving students some much needed clarity will hopefully put many at ease.
'We particularly welcome this mass-testing approach as it equips students with the knowledge to make informed decisions about travel ahead of the winter break based on individual risk, instead of being subject to blanket rules we've seen elsewhere this term.
'The government must now ensure that universities have enough resource to cope with the mass demand for this testing. We do now need a clear strategy for January return: students deserve better than another term of uncertainty.'