Thousands of UK students started their academic year under tight restrictions this week as the number of coronavirus cases jumped at universities around the country, with the government refusing to rule out a Christmas lockdown in England.
About 600 students were isolating at the University of Glasgow on Thursday after 124 cases were confirmed, while 500 students were isolating in halls of residence at Dundee’s Abertay University after three cases were confirmed. Dozens of cases were also reported at other universities, including in Liverpool, Manchester and Aberdeen.
The jump in cases at universities comes as the number of daily positive coronavirus tests is rising across the UK, topping 6,100 on Wednesday, and highlights the challenge of containing outbreaks among hundreds of thousands of students travelling to start their courses.