Why are we okay with students being locked up in their dorms?

[JKRowlingIsMyQueen]

I just heard about the students in Manchester who are not allowed to leave their dorms.

Why on earth is this allowed to happen? So the rest of us who are not students are allowed to get pissed in a pub, get on a plane and travel abroad and back etc., but if you are a student you are not allowed to LEAVE your dorms?

What science are these kind of rules following? The science of Boris needing more ammo to blame young people for spreading the virus?

I'm losing hope.

There was also a 'friendly' question from a Tory MP about focusing on, to paraphrase, more useful degrees ... so I think we can see which way this is going

no coincidence then that the -I wont say here what I want to call him- Prime Minister' is making 'promises' today about a shake up of adult education.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54330880

@mumsneedwine

Find it strange that people don't know lots of halls are catered. At Nottingham everything on main campus is catered. It's not unusual.

Suggest you look at the flats at Manchester Metropolitan University - currently subject to lockdown. They aren't catered and students have been running out of food. C4 News was interviewing one of them through a window on last night's news.

@Devlesko

‘Many of these halls will be catered so the students could have been sitting next to anyone in hall at meal times hence not easy to only isolate close contacts.‘

What hall? what meal times? what catering?
Are you on glue, it's uni, not boarding school, lol.

They are on their own, self catering and locked in, so can't go out to buy food. They are imprisoned and whatever the age it shouldn't be allowed and is unsafe.

Lots of university halls are catered, catered halls typically have a few very small kitchenettes with extremely limited fridge space to store food. We had one fridge for around 30 people in my university housing.

@Tappering yes. The ones at MMU are. The ones at Edinburgh, Durham, Nottingham, Liverpool, Exeter and I'm sure many others aren't all self catered. Older Unis tend to have more catered halls.
Doesn't matter anyway. If any Uni now tries to lock students in the lawyers are ready. Isolate if you have a close positive contact. Not be locked in because someone in a building of 400 is positive. F we all gave to do that I expect there would be mayhem.

You have to stay locked up because Fred 2 doors down is positive.

I've said it before but I feel so sorry for them that I'll say it again...I feel particularly sorry for the students who are clinically vulnerable.

What do people want to do btw?
Young healthy people have been left unable to work for six months (so far) with Long Covid. Do we want to condemn a significant number of students to a potential long-term disability?

And it's young people who will be most affected by the economic damage caused by unchecked Covid. I'm talking longer-term economy (rather than shortsighted middle of next week).

We all know that the countries who've bitten the bullet and taken effective containment measures now have healthier economies than us.

I bet students are having no such issues in Australia and New Zealand. Schools open as normal too.

They used their island advantage. Unlike us.

Young healthy people have been left unable to work for six months (so far) with Long Covid. Do we want to condemn a significant number of students to a potential long-term disability?

The majority of students and indeed people won't get long covid.

@HeresMe

Young healthy people have been left unable to work for six months (so far) with Long Covid. Do we want to condemn a significant number of students to a potential long-term disability?

The majority of students and indeed people won't get long covid.

Where did you get your crystal ball?

Experts estimate it's (so far) ten percent of patients. Many are young and previously healthy. Many had initially mild cases of Covid and didn't require hospitalisation.

Ten percent is a significant proportion of the working age population.
And remember the more people exposed to Covid, the chances of catching Covid (and therefore potentially developing Long Covid) go up.

It's one hell of a Russian Roulette gamble to take with young people's health.

@SheepandCow schools are not open as normal in any country in the world. Except the UK. Most are on rotas or have smaller classes. Some have disinfection sprays and temp monitors on each room. Some are fully on line. Only we have stuffed everyone back in. And if one person mentions bubbles I'll pop myself - they are a load of rubbish.

Accounts are coming out from some students that at nights it’s like a prison riot. I fear for the safety of some and the mental health of them all. It’s not acceptable to do this to people who are probably away from home for the first time. They’re locked up with strangers & away from their normal support systems- it’s outrageous. Plus they’re probably all packing away the booze - look out for the baby boom next summer.

I'm not clear why they've even done this. Surely it's an overreaction?

I understand its because there has been a positive case and they're self isolating. It must be awful but when you have to self isolate and can't leave the house it is awful - especially when you have young children. It's an awful position for them to be in but let's remember they are adults and they have technology. 2 weeks watching Netflix uninterrupted sounds amazing. Or I'm sure there is plenty of studying to do.
I'm assuming this is just 2 week and not how they have to spend their student year?

Where did you get your crystal ball?

Where did you get yours, the majority won't get long covid contrary to what you post they won't.

That's fact

You're not allowed to go to the pub and jump on and off planes if you're supposed to be self isolating, and that's exactly what these students are supposed to be doing, because they've come into contact with students who have tested positive. Serves then right for breaking all the rules, having parties, mixing with more people than they were allowed. Students are arrogant... Just plain selfish because they don't care and think the virus won't harm them. They couldn't care less who catches it.

I've not read the full thread but it absolutely isn't ok, and I can't think on what lawful basis a university can tell a student that they cannot leave their hall of residence. This isn't the government or local authorities doing this, the universities have no authority to keep people prisoners.

Students are arrogant... Just plain selfish because they don't care and think the virus won't harm them. They couldn't care less who catches it.

Wow just wow take a look at yourself, why you even bother posting such crap but thanks.

[quote mumsneedwine]@SheepandCow schools are not open as normal in any country in the world. Except the UK. Most are on rotas or have smaller classes. Some have disinfection sprays and temp monitors on each room. Some are fully on line. Only we have stuffed everyone back in. And if one person mentions bubbles I'll pop myself - they are a load of rubbish.[/quote]
Yes we've messed it up more than most haven't we.

My family are in South Australia. Schools in Australia are back mostly as normal. Depending on the state there are a few social distancing measures but things are far closer to normal than they are for us. No 'bubbles', no disruptive close, open, close, open, no kids or staff off because they need to self isolate because of symptoms (and can't get a test).

@Lisa82sim

You're not allowed to go to the pub and jump on and off planes if you're supposed to be self isolating, and that's exactly what these students are supposed to be doing, because they've come into contact with students who have tested positive. Serves then right for breaking all the rules, having parties, mixing with more people than they were allowed. Students are arrogant... Just plain selfish because they don't care and think the virus won't harm them. They couldn't care less who catches it.

Some students are arrogant - I read an article in the Times a couple of weeks ago where they were massively entitled.

However, they are now being told to stay in their rooms because someone in their block who they probably haven't even seen has been in contact with someone who's tested positive. That is not acceptable, and your post is just encouraging the lazy "lets punish the whole class" approach.

And they are not all selfish. Can MNers please find a new adjective - it's so dull.

@HeresMe

Where did you get your crystal ball?

Where did you get yours, the majority won't get long covid contrary to what you post they won't.

That's fact

I haven't got one. Which is why I don't know how many will get it.

Unless someone has a genuine crystal ball or the gift of seeing into the future, they can't know either way.

How can you confidently state as a fact that only a few will get it? Do you have the gift?

Like I said at this stage it's a Russian Roulette gamble.

4 classes from my daughters primary school were closed after just a week, I’ve been off work 6 months with 2 kids alone. It’s not easy for anyone

your post is just encouraging the lazy "lets punish the whole class" approach

Oh god yes...thats a perfect way of explaining

I knew this ‘lets lock every student in a block of flats away even if theyve never been in contact with the infected person and couldn’t pick them out of a line up’ reminded me of something!

As long as they aren’t being asked to go to war and possible death hey, let’s get some perspective here. The university are just trying to curb a bigger outbreak that’s all, everyone is acting like they’re in Auschwitz 🙄

*I haven't got one. Which is why I don't know how many will get it.

Unless someone has a genuine crystal ball or the gift of seeing into the future, they can't know either way.

How can you confidently state as a fact that only a few will get it? Do you have the gift?

Like I said at this stage it's a Russian Roulette gamble*

Statistics which say they wont

I do sympathise with students but we need to get some perspective here. Self isolating for two weeks in a student halls of residence is hardly the worse experience ever.

I remember seeing a news report on homelessness during the pandemic. One family featured spent lockdown in a single room. A family of two parents and several children stuck together in one room.

Then there's the vulnerable care home residents (not all are elderly btw). Confined to their rooms with the added fear and trauma of knowing they were at very high risk of dying. Seeing many of their fellow residents dying.

Women and children living in refuges during the lockdown. Many were confined to one room for several months (some whilst ill) after having fled violence and abuse.

Hospital workers. Doctors, nurses, and others. We're already seeing reports of an increase in suicidal feelings and PTSD amongst healthcare staff because of the trauma of working with Covid patients.

And, we can't yet know the proportion who will develop Long Covid. Perhaps many, perhaps only a few. At this stage it's a gamble. However, those students it does affect will find themselves confined indoors for a lot longer than two weeks.

There needs to be some perspective.

As long as they aren’t being asked to go to war and possible death hey, let’s get some perspective here. The university are just trying to curb a bigger outbreak that’s all, everyone is acting like they’re in Auschwitz 🙄

Because it started with auchwitwz didnt it,it was a process over years that it was for greater good until that started.