University of Portsmouth spends 'millions' to avoid Covid-19 outbreak

Professor Graham Galbraith is hopeful the measures put in place to mitigate the risks of Covid-19 at the University of Portsmouth will help ensure it does not fall foul of a similar fate when term starts on October 5.

Concerns have been raised across the country after around 40 universities reported Covid cases.

Institutions including Manchester Metropolitan and Glasgow universities ordered the isolation of whole teaching groups and residential blocks due to hundreds of students testing positive.

Other universities, including Aberystwyth, have taken the decision to suspend face to face teaching.

Prof Galbraith said: ‘It’s a terrible situation which is very sad and hopefully these universities will be back up and running soon.

‘I’m obviously concerned – as is everyone in the country – about a potential outbreak, but most of our students have already returned and so far things are looking okay.’

There have so far been 17 positive coronavirus tests amongst students – with 14 identified by the the university’s own testing centre.

Portsmouth now has the highest infection rate in Hampshire, with 23.3 cases per 100,000 in the the seven days to September 24 with 50 new cases in that period. That is up from, 9.3 per 100,000 and 20 new cases in the week before.

Prof Galbraith hopes that testing 10 per cent of the university’s population each fortnight will help avoid major problems.

He added: ‘We have invested over half-a-million pounds in our testing system to identify asymptomatic students who would otherwise put others at risk.

‘I’m hopeful our testing system will allow us to avoid the situation being experienced in some of these universities.

‘Overall we have spent millions to mitigate the risk - but what price do you put on the safety of students and staff?’

The university leader also wanted to reassure students who have to isolate that there are measures in place to provide support.

He added: ‘We do have access to online teaching and we are providing food and support parcels to those students who have to self-isolate. If students are confined to their rooms then it’s obviously important we provide the necessary support for their welfare.’

It comes as questions have been raised as to whether moving thousands of students into universities was wise.

Prof Galbraith said: ‘There’s a real danger that young people become subject to the blame game but many of these areas were already experiencing spikes in cases.

'Many of these youngsters have already had their A-levels destroyed and it would be disgraceful to blight their future and indeed the future of our country any further.

‘We need to provide some sense of normality. While we do have contingency in place for online learning, many of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not have had access to digital learning during lockdown.

‘It would be terrible if the university continued to perpetuate this.’

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