University of Northampton will release details of Covid cases among staff and students starting this Friday

The University of Northampton has pledged to begin releasing details of any live outbreaks of Covid-19 among its staff and students starting this Friday.

More than 50 universities have confirmed outbreaks of coronavirus in the UK as of today (October 7) according to data from the Press Association.

At one of the weekly press conferences, the university did not release information on whether there had been any cases, citing confidentiality issues.

But those confidentiality issues apply to Public Health England and the regional authorities, not the individual businesses, organisations or educational establishments.

Now, following inquiries from the Chronicle & Echo, the University of Northampton has agreed to begin releasing details of any live coronavirus cases it is dealing with on a weekly basis.

A spokesperson said: "The University will issue updates regarding the number of live cases associated with our students and staff each Friday morning from October 9th."

The Chron has asked the uni to detail how many live cases have been reported among staff and students, as well as how many people and bubbles are self-isolating.

It comes after several severe outbreaks have been reported at universities across the country, including more than 400 cases at the University of Sheffield and over 770 cases in Northumbria University.

Public Health England publish details of an outbreak if the number of cases rises above five. The Greencore situation was an example of Public Health Northamptonshire announcing the outbreak because of its size and potential impact on public health.