Image: David Woolfall [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Letter from universities minister accompanied by guidance on preparing for rollout
The mass testing of students at universities in England for Covid-19 could begin before the end of November, the government has told university leaders.
In a letter sent to vice-chancellors on 7 November, seen by Research Professional News, universities minister Michelle Donelan (pictured) said that a testing programme using lateral flow devices—which do not require a laboratory for processing and can turn around results within an hour—would be “extremely helpful” in facilitating the safe return home of students for the Christmas holidays.
“Early use of this technology will enable us to provide testing to large numbers of people quickly,” Donelan wrote. “These test results will enable students and staff to have a greater degree of certainty that they are not infected, or can isolate themselves more quickly if they are.”
The minister added: “We know that some of you have your own testing solutions and we are very keen to talk about how we properly align. Given the logistical and timing pressures, we will need to target rollout based on a range of factors, including local prevalence rates, whether testing is available already and the percentage of high-risk students in each institution.”
A briefing document sent to vice-chancellors alongside the minister’s letter states that mass testing could begin on 30 November and run until 6 December—referred to as a “pre-end-of-term testing” period. This would mean some students could begin returning home immediately after a negative test, although those who tested positive would have to self-isolate.
The document also urges institutions to identify suitable sites for the testing and to prepare them for operation, decide who to test and when, put in place plans to manage student demand, and arrange general and clinical waste management.
The briefing adds that the NHS Test and Trace programme would provide universities with the required testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE), online training, guidance on communicating details of the programme and templates for completing regulatory documentation.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education told Research Professional News that it would provide no further comment on the programme at present, but that full guidance on ensuring students could return home for the Christmas holiday would be published shortly.
Speaking yesterday, prime minister Boris Johnson said the guidance would be published “tomorrow or very shortly”.
University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady welcomed the announcement of mass testing, but said there were “huge hurdles to overcome to manage this process”.
She said these included whether all universities would be able to take part, how the tests would be administered, who would cover the costs, what the plan was for students who commuted to campus daily from their family home, and how students who were not able to be tested could travel home safely.
Grady also reiterated calls for universities to move all non-essential in-person teaching online, and to support students to learn remotely next term. She said: “Many students have already spent this term yo-yoing in and out of self-isolation, separated from family and friends, when they could otherwise have been at home. This will have taken a huge toll on their mental health.”
A spokesperson for Universities UK said that for the testing rollout to be successful, universities needed “clear assurance of the effectiveness of the tests as well as further details from the government on specific responsibilities under the proposed scheme, including the governance, indemnity, resourcing and costs recovery”.
“We welcome the government’s ambition to enhance testing capacity for university students and staff, and are pleased that universities have helped shape their plans by sharing experience from their own testing regimes and participating in pilots,” the spokesperson added.
“A more effective test, track and trace system in higher education will help limit transmission, assist in rapid response to outbreaks and support universities to continue offering face-to-face learning and support for student welfare in a low-risk and physically distanced way.”