Scottish University Students Pub Ban

Scottish University Students are being told not to go to pubs, parties or restaurants in a bid to stem a spate of coronavirus outbreaks at the faculties.

Hundreds of students have tested positive at campuses across the country, with many more self-isolating. Universities have now pledged to make it “absolutely clear” to students that there must be no parties. Parties will be strictly forbidden and students must not socialise outside their household, with governing body Universities Scotland warning “breaches will not be tolerated”.

The governing body said: “They will also not be allowed to socialise with anyone outside of their accommodation.” It also said it will implement a “yellow card/red card approach” for anyone who breaks the new rules, with the possibility of students having their studies discontinued as a last-resort punishment.

Universities Scotland said the new guidance that had been agreed with the Scottish government was a “necessary step at this crucial moment of managing the virus in the student population, to protect students and the wider community”.

Commenting after the meeting, Convener of Universities Scotland, Professor Gerry McCormac said: “University leaders share the Scottish Government’s complete commitment to keeping the student population and the wider community safe.  We have already implemented strict measures to ensure the safety of the university environment, both for teaching and for student residences.

“We have seen the majority of students live up to our expectations of responsible behaviour, but a minority have not.  Everyone across the nation shares the concern at seeing students in residences test positive for the virus and we will act decisively to deal with this.

“The additional actions we will take to drive down the transmission of the virus in student accommodation build on the wide-ranging measures already agreed with Scottish Government. Taken together, we are confident that these will help significantly to control the virus in student accommodation and impact on the number of positive cases; after the inevitable time-lag caused by some existing cases not yet being symptomatic.

“Our top priority to making sure that students that have tested positive and those quarantining are well-supported and ready to return to their studies. We appreciate this isn’t what students would have expected from their first few weeks at university, but it is critical that they play their part in suppressing the virus.”

The stricter guidelines were announced after opposition leaders accused First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of a “basic failure” to anticipate the problem and provide more testing on university campuses. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted she was “so sorry” about the experience of students since the return of universities but said the measures “won’t last forever”.

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