Coronavirus: University of Portsmouth students who are isolating need food support, says mum

A parent of a first year University of Portsmouth student, who is isolating in his ninth-floor flat in Catherine House in Stanhope Road after his flatmate tested positive for Covid-19, says there should have been a better plan in place for the ‘inevitable situation’ of students in the same block contracting the virus.

The University of Portsmouth has confirmed a ‘low number of positive cases’ at the halls of residence, which is run by The Student Housing Company.

The mum, who wishes to remain anonymous said: ‘It was going to be an inevitable situation that when all the students came together in halls that Covid-19 would be easily spread but there should have been a better plan in place for supporting them.

‘It appears to be descending into chaos with little ability to support the students in isolation. Food deliveries are taking hours to get to the flats, takeaways are being turned away or arriving too late to be edible and apparently they are wading through hundreds of Amazon deliveries which will get to students by the end of the week.

‘I tried to make an order from Sainsbury’s for my son’s flat but was told they would need to meet the driver with bags to get the food. Obviously they can’t do that as they have to isolate and I asked if I could order bags for life with the order but I was told that wouldn’t be possible.

‘I understand they don’t want to use plastic bags to help the environment but I was considering that I would have to do a four-hour drive to meet the driver and pack the food for them which sort of defeats the environment object.’

Sainsbury’s has now agreed to deliver the order with bags.

The mum added: ‘I think it is a good thing that they all have gone back because they have been at home for such a while but more planning really was needed.’

A University of Portsmouth spokesman said: ‘There are a low number of positive cases in halls of residence in Portsmouth that have been identified through our own asymptomatic testing programme and through the NHS testing programme.‘Students who have tested positive have automatically entered the NHS Test and Trace system and are required to self-isolate, together with any flatmates and close contacts, in line with Government guidance.

SEE ALSO: Asda is offering free drive-in flu jabs in Gosport - here's how to get one‘We are providing a comprehensive support package for isolating students, including food parcels and wellbeing support. All students have online access to their courses and university services.‘We are working with Public Health England and Portsmouth City Council to actively monitor the situation daily.‘We have developed a Covid-19 screening programme for students and members of staff who are not displaying symptoms. This allows us to identify cases early on to increase the safety of our students and staff and to reassure our wider community.‘The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) also operates a testing site on the University campus for anyone - student, staff or member or our city community - with symptoms of coronavirus.’

The News approached The Student Housing Company for comment.

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