Concerns over university students returning to Cornwall explained
University students are set to be tested for coronavirus before returning to the Duchy under new Government plans
University students returning to Cornwall are set to be tested for coronavirus under the Government’s new plan to limit the spread in the Duchy.
In a meeting on Wednesday 11 November, Cornwall Council said a new rapid testing system, which provides a result in around 30 minutes, is going to be offered to students including those who may not have symptoms and who have an increased likelihood of contracting it.
The Government announced on Wednesday that testing will be increased as part of plans to get students back home for Christmas. It also plans to create a seven day ‘travel window’ once lockdown ends in a bid to limit the spread of infection; which is suggested to be between the 3rd and 9th December.
Journalism student, Wes Powell, who is from Cornwall, is currently attending Liverpool John Moores University:
“A few weeks ago, I was quite worried that wouldn't even make it home for Christmas. Coming from Liverpool where there's such a high infection rate and going to the South West in Cornwall, especially where the infection rates are really low at the minute.
“It's quite worrying for my family. I don't want to give them the coronavirus, so I'd have to make sure I got tested beforehand which is what the Government plans to do.”
Wes Powell, Duchy resident studying in Liverpool
He added that he welcomes the idea of a seven-day travel window:
“It gives students the opportunity, university at a time, to get home without raising the infection rate too much on public transport.
“Myself being from Cornwall, which is a few 100 miles away, it’s going to take quite a bit of planning.”
Wes Powell
Director of Public health at Cornwall Council, Rachel Wigglesworth says it’s working with universities in Devon and Cornwall to make sure students, who may test positive for the virus, aren’t mixing with people in the community:
“We hope any students that do test positive will have been detected as far away from December as possible. They will be supported during self-isolation while they get a confirmatory test (which is the more lab-based PCR test that we take at the moment).
“If they test positive through that, they will be asked to remain in their accommodation before they come back to their place of residence, so that’s obviously part of mitigating the wider risk to the community that could be affected by students potentially importing cases.
“We do have a robust contact tracing and case review system, so we are informed of positive cases. We then work with those residents and support them to ensure that they have the rights measures in place in their households to reduce risk of spread.
"We're doing what we can here to make sure that we keep people safe.”
Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health, Cornwall Council