Students: Coronavirus

(asked on 4th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to ensure that students returning from overseas placements for Christmas 2020 have access to no-symptom covid-19 testing.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 9th December 2020

All universities have been asked to work in partnership with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver an asymptomatic mass testing programme. Asymptomatic testing is an important tool to help students adhere to safety measures to protect themselves, their friends, family, and wider community.

All international arrivals, including domestic students on international placement, are required to complete a passenger locator form on arrival in the UK, and passengers travelling from a country not on the national exemption list are required to self-isolate in their accommodation for 14 days. See: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control.

From 15 December, there will be the option in England to take an accredited COVID-19 test from a private testing provider after 5 days of self-isolation, with a negative result releasing students from the need to isolate from day 6. Students should discuss what provisions are in place to support them in accessing COVID-19 testing.

In addition, asymptomatic testing will be available across participating universities up until the 16 December. Students returning from countries on the national exemption list who would like to take advantage of this provision should discuss what testing provision is available at their university.

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