Northampton university students could be offered Covid tests before returning home for Christmas

University students in Northampton might be offered a rapid lateral flow covid test before they go home - in a system similar to what has been rolled out in Liverpool.

From 3 December to 9 December, which will be known as the ‘student travel window’, students will be allowed to travel home on staggered departure dates set by universities.

At The University of Nothampton, students are being urged to work from home from December 4 when face-to-face teaching ends, if they have no assessments, as learning goes virtual until December 18.

The student travel window will mean students can travel having just completed the four-week period of national restrictions, reducing the risk of transmission to family and friends at home.

To further reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus onto loved ones, the university is waiting to hear back from the Goverment over whether they will be included in the lateral flow device trial.

This will give asymptomatic students, who test negative, reassurance that they can return home safely and minimise the risk of passing coronavirus on to their loved ones.  

Similar to at-home pregnancy tests, coronavirus lateral flow tests work by triggering a reaction in a simple paper cartridge, which reveals results as a line in 20 minutes.

Becky Bradshaw, from the university, said: "We have been asked to take part in the national roll out of quick turn around lateral flow device testing for asymptomatic indivduals and because we want to make sure we are supporting our students and giving them the informtion they need to take an informed decision to return home to their families we have agreed to take part in that programme.

"We are waiting at this stage on the official confirmation on exactly how that will roll out across the UK and if indeed whether there will be a priority for local area."

The university has said it will support its overseas, care leavers and students who are estranged from their families to have a comfortable stay on campus if they decide not to leave.

Becky added that all learning will be online from December 9.

She said: "That is between the end of the period of national restrictions and the 9th of December and that allows them the time then to isolate after the face to face delivery end if they should need to and still be able to get home and spend Christmas with their loved ones if that's the decision they are taking.

"I make that point because I should stress that this year, just like any year, we have a number of students who will stay with us over the Christmas period either because they are international students, care leavers or estranged students from their families and we would support them as students like we would at any other time of the year and we are working out a programme of support for them over that period."