London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Prove your Covid status if you want to party, UK students told

Prove your Covid status if you want to party, UK students told

Student unions are going further than government guidelines, in an attempt to avoid virus outbreaks like those of last year
Student unions are telling students they won’t be admitted to freshers’ parties in the next few weeks without a Covid pass or negative lateral flow test, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last year’s outbreaks on campus.

Earlier this month, the government performed a U-turn on plans to compel nightclubs from 1 October to ask for Covid passports that prove someone has had two Covid vaccinations or a negative test. But many student unions have chosen to go further than government guidelines because they fear that a more relaxed stance could lead to outbreaks and students being confined to their bedrooms again.

Ben Dolbear, president of Southampton University students union, said: “All our surveys show that students are desperate to see their friends again. But their other priority is their health and protecting family and friends. We are trying to balance those things.” Southampton is requiring students to show proof of a negative lateral flow test within 24 hours of any freshers’ event to gain entry. Free tests are available in halls, on campus and outside party venues. Students will also be required to wear masks at indoor freshers’ parties.

Dolbear said students generally understand that such compromises are necessary to avoid spreading the virus and keep campuses open. “We’ve had no complaints from the early arrivals so far. Students are quite happy to be taking a test if it means they can see friends and go partying again,” he said.

Last year, many universities had Covid outbreaks on campus just days into the start of the autumn term, and by the end of September thousands of angry students were confined to their rooms, with many facing disciplinary action for illegal parties.

But Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London and a member of the government’s Sage advisory group on immunology, warned that people could no longer be “blase” about students being in no real danger.

He said: “We perceive the risk to young people very differently from how we did this time last year, because the Delta variant has shifted the demographic of people going into hospitals way downwards. We have an awful lot of young people in hospitals.”

Professor Altmann said universities were right to try to make freshers’ events as Covid-safe as possible. “If I envisage going back into the situation of last year with Covid spreading in crowded halls and freshers’ week parties, of course I am fearful. Why wouldn’t we want maximum mitigations?” he said.

Many universities are extending their freshers’ weeks in order to run special “refresher” events for returning students, particularly second years who missed the party season last year.

But Professor Steve West, president of Universities UK, said universities and student unions were “taking their responsibilities very seriously” and most were introducing tougher Covid guidelines at events. His own institution, the University of West of England in Bristol, is requiring all students to present either Covid passes or proof of a negative test to enter freshers’ events. The university has also encouraged popular student venues in the city to follow suit.

He said: “We were concerned that we would introduce this on campus but it wouldn’t be mirrored in the city centre. The deal we’ve struck is that we will promote responsible club owners who have adopted our approach.”

“Part of coming to university is learning about personal responsibility and that your actions have consequences,” he added. “If we all work together, campuses will remain open.”

Other universities publicising the need for passes or tests for freshers’ events include Sussex, Manchester, Bath, Liverpool and Royal Holloway, University of London.

Professor David Green, vice chancellor of Worcester University, said instead of requiring Covid passes his university concentrated on outdoor events at its welcome festival last weekend.

Students gathered in open-sided marquees or sat on deckchairs on the lawn, with events including open-air cinema and bands.

“It’s not just about partying, it’s about meeting fellow students, talking about shared interests and making friends. That’s what young people have been missing,” he said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×