Exodus 'window' fixed to help Portsmouth students return home for Christmas
AN EDUCATION chief has insisted the government is doing ‘all it can’ to return Portsmouth university students home ‘safely’ for Christmas.
Universities minister Michelle Donelan made the statement as Whitehall today unveiled an ambitious evacuation-style plan to get students home.
Students across England will be given a ‘travel window’ between December 3 and 9, to minimise the risk of them spreading Covid-19.
Ms Donelan said the government chose the week after the four-week national lockdown in England ends on December 2 because ‘students will pose a much-reduced risk to their loved ones and their community’.
She told BBC Breakfast the timing means that anyone who develops symptoms on December 9 will still ‘have enough time to isolate and then return home for Christmas’.
The Tory MP’s remarks come days after she responded to concerns from Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan, who was worried about how students would be able to return to, or head home from, the city.
In a written statement, Ms Donelan said: ‘The safety and well-being of staff and students in higher education is always our priority.
‘The government is doing all it can to minimise the risks to those working and studying in our higher education institutions, during this unprecedented situation, whilst mitigating the impact on education.’
Ms Donelan confirmed that students will not need to have a negative test result before travelling home.