Coronavirus: Portsmouth council leader says 'students should have been allowed back' to University of Portsmouth​​​​​​​

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson hit out at government policy as the city’s rate of cases passed 200 per 100,000 people for the first time and the region prepared to endure another national lockdown.

The Lib Dem leader said Boris Johnson’s government had made a ‘poor decision’ allowing university students to return.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: ‘The highest rates of infection are in the 18 to 29 age group and infection rates in Portsmouth are higher in this age group than most other parts of the country.

‘University students should never have been allowed to come back – not just in Portsmouth but nationally – it was a not a good decision from the government.

‘The problem has been a mixing of people from different parts of the country which results in the spread of infection – it was not well thought out and in retrospect a poor decision.’

The Covid case rate for people aged 15-29 is 344 per 100,000 in Portsmouth - the far highest in all age brackets - but is now falling.

The number of active Covid cases at the university currently stands at 65 – 59 students and six staff.

This is down from a peak of 126 on October 26. There are 31,000 students and 3,500 staff.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson added: ‘I don’t think the University of Portsmouth has done anything wrong and I’ve been impressed with the measures they’ve put in place but after being allowed to open they’ve been operating within a set of rules which were poorly thought through by the government.’

Cllr Suzy Horton did not go as far as saying the University of Portsmouth should not have reopened for face to face teaching but she did accept the return of students may have impacted on infection rates.

Cllr Horton said: ‘I think we can say that if there had not been the influx of students then we would not have the levels of infection we do now.

‘It’s easy to look back in hindsight but if students had not started the year then virus rates would be lower. But the government allowed universities to return and we are where we are.’

However after the institution spent £10m on measures to mitigate the risk of infection, Cllr Horton feels the university has done all it can to control the virus.

Cllr Horton said: ‘I think the university has made an incredible effort to put measures in place to keep people safe – they could not really have done any more.’

Measures have included provision of free face masks, temperature scanners when entering buildings, installation of hand sanitiser points and the restructuring of buildings and classes to maintain social distancing.

The university was also one of the first in the country to introduce its own testing centre for asymptomatic students.

It comes after a 19-year-old student was recently fined £200 for organising an illegal party of more than 50 people at Margaret Rule Halls in Isambard Brunel Road.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith, has threatened to ‘throw all our disciplinary procedures against students who break the rules’, and fully supported the action of the police.

He is steadfast in his belief the decision to reopen universities was the correct one. He previously warned young people could be subjected to a ‘blame game’.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth exceeds Covid case rate of 200 per 100,000 people for the first time

The university will remain open.

A spokesman said: ‘In line with government guidance, the University of Portsmouth will remain open during the lockdown starting Thursday, November 5 and continue to deliver teaching online and in person to small groups where it is safe to do so.

‘We are taking a responsible and careful approach and have followed government guidance to the letter, surpassing many of the requirements placed on us.

‘The university has invested in extensive safety measures to make sure our campus is a safe place to study and work, including offering our own asymptomatic testing and hosting a government-run testing facility on our campus.

‘Infections among students and staff members are stable at relatively low levels.

‘Around a third of confirmed university cases have been people without symptoms, which shows the value of the university’s asymptomatic screening programme to take action with our local public health officials to keep everyone safe.’

Commenting on the situation, Helen Atkinson, director of public health at Portsmouth City Council, said: ‘Students are crucial for our city to thrive, and we are proud to welcome students every year to Portsmouth.

‘This year, it is during such difficult times and their experiences will not be the same, but I admire their efforts to continue their studies, to learn, to gain their degree and to graduate.

‘The council continues to work closely with the university, students' union and the police to make sure the university and students are following all general public health guidance, and the vast majority of students are following the guidelines.’

A government spokesman said universities ‘are prepared for local outbreaks’ and keeping them open is prioritising students’ wellbeing.

‘Universities should continue to work with their local health teams to agree the balance of online and in-person teaching, adapting measures to their local circumstances,’ he added.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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