Universities in Northern Ireland are moving all teaching online from next Wednesday (December 9th) and offering Covid-19 tests to students going home for Christmas.
With hundreds of students in Northern Ireland planning to go home to their family for Christmas, there's a very real risk that they could unwittingly bring Covid-19 home and infect vulnerable older family members. A percentage of people who are infected with the virus get mild or no symptoms but can still infect others.
The universities recently announced plans to perform mass testing on students planning to go home for Christmas in order to warn those who test positive and give peace of mind to those who test negative. All students heading home to their parents have been advised to get a Covid-19 test and then to self-isolate to reduce the chances of catching it before going home.
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Students at both Queen's University and Ulster University can request a Covid-19 test as part of both universities' rapid testing schemes as long as they don't have any symptoms of the disease. Anyone showing symptoms is advised to book their test the normal way via the app.
As part of the plan to keep students and their families safe, Queen's University and Ulster University will be moving all learning online from December 9th. Some students in courses that require specialist equipment, face-to-face mentorship, or assessed practicals, are currently still doing those on campus, but have been advised to only do this when absolutely necessary.
Source: BBC News
