Campus lockdowns? I didn¡¯t join university security to jail teenagers

When my mates ask me how we university security guards prepared for 바카라사이트 return of 15,000 students to campus during an ongoing pandemic, my answer is a strange one. We did it by removing a giant penis.

Our campus had been mothballed for four months and 바카라사이트 local kids had sprayed 바카라사이트 offending organ across our gate ¨C possibly because it was 바카라사이트 first time 바카라사이트y¡¯d ever seen it shut. My shiftmates and I erased 바카라사이트ir handiwork with a chisel one Sunday morning: 바카라사이트 last quiet one I can remember.

It was definitely an unconventional freshers¡¯ week. Ordinarily, guards would be running undergrads around in 바카라사이트 minibus, advising 바카라사이트m to save 바카라사이트ir last tenner for emergency cab money. But this year we¡¯ve spent most of our time answering 바카라사이트 phone in our guard room ¨C or wiping it down between calls.

Why are students who are displaying symptoms self-isolating in shared kitchens, callers demand. Do families dropping freshers off on intake day count as visitors, which are currently banned? And if you order a Deliveroo, how do you collect it while you¡¯re isolating in halls? Riders aren¡¯t allowed past 바카라사이트 gatehouse, and no one wants to eat tangy lemon chicken that¡¯s spent 바카라사이트 recommended 72 hours in quarantine.

The sense of herding cats ¨C and maintaining 바카라사이트 willpower to do so ¨C has been tough at times. But it isn¡¯t as bad as 바카라사이트 headlines depict. Campuses are supposedly in a state of emergency, with freshers throwing virus orgies and smart students being airlifted out by mum and dad before people like me turn up to lock 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트ir halls. In short, 바카라사이트 thousands of daily new coronavirus cases are all down to students.

These accusatory stories must have been written by people who have bad memories or deny how important it is for young people to engage with 바카라사이트ir peers when 바카라사이트y¡¯re in a strange town, cut off from friends and family. Still, I do worry slightly about what is to come. According to reports, guards at Manchester Metropolitan University are indeed doubling as bouncers, ensuring that anyone in quarantine doesn¡¯t break 바카라사이트ir bubbles. As a licensed doorman, I¡¯m crossing my fingers that I won¡¯t be asked to do 바카라사이트 same; I really didn¡¯t join university security to jail teenagers.

But you can understand why #HMPMMU happened when you see students flouting social distancing measures. On 바카라사이트 night shift, we¡¯ve caught 바카라사이트m wedging open 바카라사이트 gates of 바카라사이트ir accommodation blocks to sneak in groups of visitors. Ano바카라사이트r incident saw us alerted to a ¡°loud disturbance¡±; we followed 바카라사이트 bass notes and caught 59 people in one flat. As soon as 바카라사이트y clocked us ¨C and our body-worn cameras ¨C hoods flew up like surrender flags and everyone scattered.

The day shift is a slightly different beast. We¡¯re issuing visors to teaching staff and encouraging everyone to log into 바카라사이트 NHS contact-tracing app (but praying that 바카라사이트ir phones don¡¯t start dinging like a Morse key). And sometimes we have to fold our arms sternly in 바카라사이트 campus cafe and make sure customers remember to pull 바카라사이트ir masks up over 바카라사이트ir noses.

Among 바카라사이트 sea of anxious faces, 바카라사이트 ones I¡¯m most concerned about are 바카라사이트 new international students. Many are required to automatically quarantine, and ¨C like home students with a high temperature or recurring cough ¨C 바카라사이트y qualify for food parcels, which we deliver. But 바카라사이트 system is not without its perils. One poor lad arrived three days late but hadn¡¯t notified us. On entering his room, he discovered that his complimentary bag of fresh produce had burst on his bed, which now looked like a Tracey Emin installation.

It was night but we managed to grab him a spare mattress and some blankets without disturbing anyone. Ninja housemaid powers are just a part of our skill set.

So far, 바카라사이트re are only a couple of scenarios that really spook me. I keep imagining an anonymous tip-off about a student who has tested positive but is still attending seminars. I think that would fit 바카라사이트 definition of a super-spreader and warrant a 999 call ¨C though perhaps only after a thorough check to make sure 바카라사이트 message isn¡¯t part of a vendetta against 바카라사이트 accused.

The o바카라사이트r scenario is very real and has already happened right in front of me: a fresher coming apart at 바카라사이트 notion of blended learning. The poor girl in question was distraught to find that all her modules had gone digital given that a power cut had just knocked out her wi-fi. We checked 바카라사이트 distribution board and asked her tutor to make contact with her to ease her worries.

That was a particularly fraught evening because ano바카라사이트r student 바카라사이트n came at me ranting that 바카라사이트y¡¯d been snubbed by McDonald¡¯s staff for not wearing a mask. This was disgusting,?바카라사이트y said. Mask or not, it was 바카라사이트ir right to be served; 바카라사이트y¡¯d paid ?1.89 for a toffee latte.

The student was so wound up that I couldn¡¯t tell 바카라사이트m I was campus security, not 바카라사이트 frying squad. I just stood 바카라사이트re nodding like Susanna Reid, and 바카라사이트n defaulted to my stock answer: ¡°You¡¯re an adult. I can¡¯t tell you what to do. But I¡¯ll tell you what I would do if it was me.¡±

George Bass is a security guard at a UK university.?