Vice-chancellors seek “urgent clarification” that universities can continue to distribute free test kits
The government has been accused of endangering university staff and students ahead of mooted plans to end free testing and remote learning.
The government is expected to confirm an end to all Covid legal restrictions in England this afternoon, including axing the distribution of free lateral flow tests and dropping the requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, universities minister Michelle Donelan has said universities must ditch online learning, telling the Daily Mail today that there is “no excuse” for keeping lectures online once the restrictions are lifted.
But the academic community has reacted with concern to the news, with the University and College Union warning that the lifting of restrictions would put staff and students at risk.
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said the government was “playing fast and loose with the safety of staff and students on university campuses”.
“If, as the secretary of state for education claims, in-person teaching is a priority, then common sense measures like free, easily accessible lateral flow tests must also remain a priority,” she added.
Commenting on the move to stop providing free tests, Grady said: “This approach is reckless and may lead to Covid outbreaks being undetected until it is far too late to limit infections.
“It is also completely irresponsible for the government to make this change at such short notice. Ministers must explain how employers are supposed to ensure campuses remain safe when testing is a key health and safety control measure.”
She urged the government not to abandon free PCR testing for symptomatic cases, saying “university staff and students need these reassurances urgently”.
‘Hard to understand’
The government advice to universities has been for students and staff on campus to take lateral flow tests twice a week, but the contract to supply the institutions with free kits expired last Friday with media speculation that it would not be renewed.
The Department for Education was not immediately available for comment.
Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of the vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK, also expressed concern.
“The ending of the legal agreement which allows universities to hand out lateral flow testing kits to students and staff ahead of the confirmation that all remaining Covid restrictions in England [are to be lifted] is hard to understand,” he said.
“We are asking government for urgent clarification that universities can continue to distribute test kits from the supplies they have on campus—this makes sense when universities have kits which would otherwise go to waste and while there is still demand from students and staff this term.”
Speaking ahead of the announcement, expected this week, prime minister Boris Johnson said “we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms”.
“Thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be jabbed, we are now in a position to set out our plan for living with Covid this week.”