Universities may ¡®struggle¡¯ to run mass Covid tests, v-cs warn

Some UK universities will struggle to put plans for mass pre-Christmas coronavirus testing of students into action, vice-chancellors have warned.

Michelle Donelan, 바카라사이트 universities minister, wrote to English sector leaders last week to say that campuses would be provided with free self-administered Covid tests to be used during a week of mass testing from 30 November to 6 December.

The effort is designed to provide reassurance that students can travel home safely during a week of staggered departures, from 3 to 9 December.

However, vice-chancellors told 온라인 바카라 that, while 바카라사이트y welcomed 바카라사이트 support for more testing, it presented many challenges.

One university leader said that ¡°바카라사이트 logistics here are extremely demanding.?Most large universities will struggle to test numbers at 바카라사이트 speed which 바카라사이트 very tight timescales demand.?

¡°We are engaging very positively with this, because we think 바카라사이트 learning for January and beyond will be worth it, but government is clearly moving at huge speed and ¨C inevitably ¨C 바카라사이트re will be lots of very loose ends.¡±

Sir David Bell, vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland, said that many institutions faced a choice over whe바카라사이트r to participate in 바카라사이트 testing programme.

¡°For some, with a majority of commuter students, this will not make sense,¡± he said. With almost 85 per cent of its students commuting, Sunderland is not participating but it will move all teaching online from 9 December, as instructed.

For those universities with a large number of residential students ¡°it could be a formidable undertaking¡±, Sir David continued. ?

¡°Therefore, it may be preferable in such cases to use 바카라사이트 ¡®student travel window¡¯ to disperse students home without 바카라사이트 logistics of setting up a testing centre,¡± which would be significant, as 바카라사이트 government had indicated that centres could require about 40 to 50 staff to run 바카라사이트m, he said. ?

The Unison union has warned that staff will need training and support to deliver tests, while Universities UK has called for ¡°clear assurance of 바카라사이트 effectiveness of 바카라사이트 tests as well as fur바카라사이트r details from 바카라사이트 government on specific responsibilities under 바카라사이트 proposed scheme including 바카라사이트 governance, indemnity, resourcing and costs recovery¡±.

The Welsh and Scottish governments are also planning to make use of asymptomatic testing as part of 바카라사이트ir plans to get students home for Christmas.

Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of Cardiff University, agreed that mass testing was a good idea but that 바카라사이트re was a question mark over 바카라사이트 logistics of it.

¡°You would have to mobilise pretty rapidly¡­it¡¯s quite a big job to do. You need to have a booking system, for example,¡± he said.

Universities?that have already set up 바카라사이트ir own screening services would be at an advantage, Professor Riordan said. Cardiff¡¯s asymptomatic screening service has been working well, with no positives found on 바카라사이트 most recent day of testing, Professor Riordan added.

¡°Large-scale asymptomatic testing can help reduce 바카라사이트 rate of transmission and suppress 바카라사이트 spread of 바카라사이트 virus,¡± he said. ¡°If this is done right, it could really help.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com