Covid: Scottish university students are banned from going to bars

Students are told not to go to pubs, parties or restaurants in an attempt to stop a series of coronavirus outbreaks in Scottish universities.

Hundreds of students tested positive on campuses across the country, with many more self-isolating.

Universities have now promised to make it “absolutely clear” to students that there should be no parties.

And they will not be allowed to socialize with anyone outside of their accommodation.

Students have also been warned that any violation of the new rules “will not be tolerated.”

The stricter guidelines were announced after opposition leaders accused Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon of a “basic failure” to anticipate the problem and provide more evidence on university campuses.

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

The new rules state that all colleges “will make it absolutely clear to students that there should be no parties or socializing outside of their homes.”

They go on to say: “This weekend, the first of the new stricter guidelines from the Scottish government, we will require students to avoid socializing outside their homes and outside their accommodation.

“We will ask them not to go to bars or other places of hospitality.”

Additional staff will be brought into the student accommodation to monitor any violations of the guide and to support self-isolating students.

Police Scotland will also monitor student behavior off campus and in private accommodation.

And private providers of student accommodation will also be urged to strictly enforce the guide.

Students will also need to download the Protect Scotland app.

The guide cautions: “We will take a strict ‘Yellow Card / Red Card’ approach to student discipline infractions that put students and others at risk.

“While we want to inform students of disciplinary infractions first, we will not hesitate to escalate this to disciplinary action, including possible study discontinuation.”

Several universities across the country are dealing with major outbreaks of the virus, and many students in dormitories in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh are being told to isolate themselves.

A total of 124 students at the University of Glasgow have tested positive so far, with 600 in isolation, while the 500 residents in the hallways of Parker House in Dundee have been told to self-quarantine.

And 120 cases have been identified in an outbreak at Edinburgh’s Napier University.

Opposition parties have argued that the Scottish government should have been better prepared for the outbreaks when university students returned for the new term.

Sturgeon has said that the number of positive cases in universities is likely to increase, but said this shows that the test and protection system “is working, and we must continue to have confidence in that.”

He urged students to follow the latest guidelines, saying he regretted that the pandemic “made this special time in their lives so difficult.”

College life was already very different this term.

Most of the students were already prepared to learn primarily online, but the college experience is both social and academic.

Perhaps the most significant move is to appeal to students not to visit bars or places of hospitality.

Ultimately, students who break the rules on campus or in college accommodation face expulsion.

However, universities know that they must also appeal to the sense of responsibility and common sense of the individual.

It will still be a great question. Homesick students usually won’t be able to return to the family home they lived in until a few weeks ago.

Starting college can be a difficult experience: a student may not like their course or find it difficult to live away from home or make new friends.

This year will be even more difficult, so it will be more important than ever to consider the well-being and mental health of students.