Is there any thought yet as to how students are going to get home for Christmas?

[TawnyPippit]

I haven’t seen anything, but I’m assuming some thought must be being given to this, whether by the universities or the govt?. DS is in catered accommodation and I can’t believe that that that would keep on going all over the Christmas period. I’m not a Christmas obsessive - DS is just coming to the end of his first lockdown period, and also can’t come home for reading week as originally planned as we are Tier 2. But I have told him (rashly?) that it will all be ok for Christmas.

I guess the way it would currently work would be to do another period of isolation - which hopefully will be just 7 days by then - and then come and re-join our household. He is in Tier 1, so coming home is not a problem for him, its us that cannot mix households ATM.

I suspect its all too far away to strategise about at the moment as we will likely have several different iterations of lockdown restrictions before then, just idle musings.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/education-54887526

News about students coming home for Christmas. Can’t see it working. Students who are not isolating will leave Uni to come home on a date of their choosing.

It will be interesting to see how the travel arrangements pan out, if all students are told to travel in this small window or even on a specified day.

Those with long journeys on public transport, who may hope to book a cheap fare, are likely to be hit with huge costs. As an example, DS can get a coach for as little as 90p (yes really, not a typo) or the train can be in excess of £100.

I am glad there is a semblance of a plan coming together.

going to have to ask dd to book early, which is sensible anyway, her fare home
i was worried in case her job will want her to work though?

DS has his car with him so can leave when he wants but some others are reliant on parents collecting them which will all probably be on a weekend to fit around their jobs.
At DS’s Uni there have been less than 200 cases in on and off campus accommodation from a student population of c23,000. That’s less than most small towns across the U.K..

The students will end up going home when it suits them.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/england-students-to-get-six-day-window-to-get-home-before-christmas
Travel window supposedly meaning they all come home by 9th Dec.

I would prefer we just let freedom prevail even if more die... but here we are... we have been sleep walking into a police state.

If they do this it is going to be very difficult to police it.

Also my son has final (yes final) exams in law after that window for returning back in mid December (as they have finals this term for this term's work and then next term the finals at start of term 3 for that term's (he is on a post grad law course)). In his case I think the exams are on line but I suspect he will want to stay until they are over which is about 16 Dec and come back after that (although I certainly don't mind (despite all the rent I am paying of over £600 a month) if he comes home before the exams and does them from home).

Is the test compulsory, that is the million dollar question?
Any thoughts Xenia?

Re.."we have been sleep walking into a police state'.
I am quite worried about the way that students are having their freedom of movement targeted in this way, after lockdown ends.

I think if everyone ends up back in tier 3, there is some justification (not entirely though) but if some areas are tier 1, there is an issue. Why is Joe bloggs allowed to travel, and not a student?

on BBC breakfast news Michelle Donolan said the test was not compulsory, it was for the student to decide.

Students are no different from any other adult. Once lockdown ends early December they will be able to travel in the same way as anyone else.

There seems to be no mention of what happens for students eg living in Wales coming back to England. This all appears to be for England only. There are lots of students who will need to travel between the UK nations.

Wales banned tier 2 and 3 English visitors prior to the Welsh lockdown. It seems to be an uncoordinated approached once again.

Loads on my course went off home once they realised just how little face to face working was going on. I've been onto campus once this term - and that was just to collect a carparking permit - there's that much yellow and black tape it's NOT a pleasant place to be.

@mushroom3

There seems to be no mention of what happens for students eg living in Wales coming back to England. This all appears to be for England only. There are lots of students who will need to travel between the UK nations.

I want to know the answer to this too.

@Parker231

Students are no different from any other adult. Once lockdown ends early December they will be able to travel in the same way as anyone else.

Exactly this. They are not prisoners.

If my dd goes into the city centre and gets on a train on December 22, who is going to stop her?

I suppose the point is, that if she was contact traced or in a uni halls household with a member testing positive it might be illegal(think fine) for her to travel after this point. Whereas within the travel window she can still travel even under these isolation requirements, if she tests negative within these dates. Isolation could be completed at home apparently. But not later

Which is intended to encourage students to leave within travel window, uncontaminated so to speak.

If a student is contacted through track and trace or one of their close contacts has a positive test, they are no different from anyone else. DS hasn’t so (post lockdown) can come and go as he likes.

But lots of people don't comply or don't comply fully with isolation requirements. I don't think students are much different in this regard.

I'm still sceptical about the practicalities of it all. Let's just hope the screening tests work in the way they are expected to.

This is causing hassle. Ages ago I agreed to collect DD1 on 5th December. Her term ends the day before. She is 4 hours away. She can't get a train - there isn't anything remotely near us and the coach would take a full day with all the changes. DH & I are both key workers who are working all week.

DD2 is 1 hr 40 minutes from DD1, just over 3 hours from home. Originally I was collecting her on 19th but she wants to come back the same weekend & that is what is being suggested now. Option 1: Collect DD1 on 5th and DD2 on 6th. 2 days behind the wheel for me then a full week at work afterwards. Option 2: Leave home at 6.30 am on 5th. Collect DD1. Pack car & drive to DD2. Load car with DD1's help. DD2 has an online course until 14.30. Leave at 14.31 and clog it home so I'm not driving for too long in the dark. Gives me a day off to recover but around 450 miles of driving in December.

Just hoping that rules become clearer. Both have had recent negative tests administered by their institutions. I hate being left in limbo...

doesnt anyone else have students that work? they will still have to work surely?

We need a law/statutory instrument I suppose before we can check for certain if by law students' movements will be specifically restricted.

DS has said he and his friends are planning on going home on the dates they had already planned. Lots of very angry students.

DNiece is supposed to be coming to us for the Christmas holidays because her parents live abroad. She still has online classes and assessments until the 19th, and we have 3 small DC with no quiet space for her to work. I'm sure there are plenty of other students who would struggle to work from their parents' home for similar reasons.

As long as it's legal for any other adult to travel on the 20th December, so will DNiece.

DD had already booked her train ticket. She was planning on isolating for the fortnight before and then coming home on a hopefully not-filled-with-students train.

Unless they refund her train ticket that will be when she's coming home.