The Scotts are allowing students back into the universities but the there are certain procedures that need to be followed by returning students before coming the university. They plan on allowing Scottish universities will be allowed to quarantine students arriving from red list countries pending the success of a “pilot” scheme exploring the idea, a spokesperson reveals reveal. The Scottish Government has given the green light to a plan for universities to use on campus accommodation for international students if they can demonstrate safety measures in place would match those being used at quarantine hotels. However before it is allowed, a pilot scheme involving two unnamed universities must take place to make sure it is feasible.
Right now in the United kingdom has a rule that anyone arriving form a red list country has to do a mandatory 14 days quarantine at a government approved hotel which will cost approximately 1,750 Pounds which is a massive sum to be spent by a student. More than 100,000 international students are due to come to the UK in September from red list countries, according to Universities UK International. As well as concerns over cost, it is unclear if there is enough hotel space to accommodate them all.
A spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has been exploring with universities how student accommodation could be used in place of hotels for managed isolation. Guidance is currently being drafted for a ‘pilot’ scheme to assess how this would work in practice, with two universities expressing an interest in taking part. Ministers agreed to permit student accommodation to be used for managed isolation for international students and students returning to Scotland following an educational exchange if universities can provide the necessary assurances that the accommodation meets equivalent public health protection assurances as hotels.”
