The fact that we're on the verge of a second lockdown/ sharply increased restrictions and yet University campuses are still reopening is absolutely baffling (and completely reckless). A thread.

1. Reopening University campuses involves over two million students (plus staff), moving across the UK spreading the virus across the country.

2. Students (esp. Freshers), separated from their family, will need to make new friends. No matter how hard you try to socially distance events and lectures, outside of formal settings students will still socialise and social distancing in small student housing will be difficult.

3. Small University towns particularly, such as Cambridge, do not have the space and infrastructure for students to return and have so far got through the pandemic supporting only locals. Populations in these cities will soar when students return, putting whole cities at risk.

4. Just because (most) students are young does not mean its safe if they catch the virus. Many students have health conditions and staff members are often older and more at risk. This will literally put lives at risk.

5. Boris doesn't want Universities sending students home so when lockdown hits, students will be forced to isolate away from their loved ones with people that may have only met a few weeks before. This has the potential to be incredibly distressing and terrible for mental health.

6. Students will inevitably get Freshers Flu in the first few weeks and demand for coronavirus tests will therefore soar. Test and trace is already at four times capacity.

7. Students will, in a bid to prevent loneliness and make friends, bend the rules. They will then be landed with huge fines that they can't afford and the possibility of expulsion, which will have significant repercussions on their lives.

8. Many students rely on part-time jobs to fund their studies. Many of these jobs no longer exist and with Universities financially, students will struggle to get financial support from their unis as well, making life incredibly difficult for low-income students.

9. We've seen what happened in America. At UNC in a campus of 30,000, 1000 tested positive within a week. At James Madison, which has 20,000 students, 500 tested positive in less than a week. Be in no doubt, this will happen at UK campuses as well.

10. A significant amount of teaching (esp. in arts and humanities) has already been moved online. For many students the only reason to be on campus left is to make friends but realistically with the severe restrictions on socialising that's going to be so difficult regardless.

I'm under no illusions, having experienced 'Zoom University' I know it's shit.But moving millions of people across the country right now is incredibly dangerous for staff, students and local residents alike and the experience students receive, esp. if lockdown hits, will be awful

Tl;dr Universities reopening in this weird hybrid form is a massive danger to student mental health and to wider public health and in the end 'partying students' will be scapegoated for a surge in cases that has already begun, whilst having a truly terrible experience themselves.

Of course, not every student has a safe home to stay in when outside of university and some will need to move out to protect shielding family members. Unis have a duty of care to house and support those students but campuses absolutely should not be reopening to all students.