The Council of Ministers will today (Thursday) discuss UK plans for the mass Covid testing of university students.

A week of rapid ’lateral flow’ tests on university campuses between November 30 and December 6 is proposed to allow for the staggered safe return home of students for Christmas.

Details first emerged in a letter from UK Universities Minister Michelle Donelan to university bosses.

pilot

A pilot of rapid testing has been taking place at Leicester De Montfort and Durham universities.

Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson said: ’The English Department for Education are recommending that universities go completely on-line early in December so that there can be a staggered return of students home once the current strict restrictions are lifted early next month.

’There have been pilot trials of lateral flow tests in Leicester and Durham Universities.

’These tests apparently will be provided free to the universities and testing will be voluntary.’

But he added: ’The test is approximately 70% sensitive and so may miss infected people especially if they are asymptomatic so will not guarantee that a returning student is clear of the disease.

’This announcement came out yesterday and to my knowledge there has been no discussion with the Isle of Man Government over the plans. It will be discussed at CoMin on Thursday.’

Under the UK plans, students can travel home between December 3 and 9, having been offered to take a voluntary Covid test.

The Universities Minister told Radio 4 this would allow students to self-isolate if they tested positive and still be able to get back in time for Christmas.

Ms Donelan said the aim was to test as many students as possible and the focus and support would be targeted those universities that had seen the highest rates of Covid.

Although the test is voluntary, she said she had ’every faith’ that students will have the test so they can reduce the risk they present to their loved one.

She insisted the lateral flow test is ’highly reliable’ and the number of false positives and false negative is ’extremely low’.

Ms Donelan described the testing as an only one element of the plan and that after four weeks of lockdown, students now pose a much lower risk but it was important to get them home swifty.

The Manx government will support returning students, the Education Minister told the House of Keys this week.

Dr Allinson said a survey of students carried out last month found that 92% intended to return home for Christmas.

There was a wide variation in the date they had chosen to come back, ranging from the end of November to December 20. All will be required to isolate for 14 days.

The majority had already decided to return to university in the new year and most have chosen the first two weeks of January to do so.

Dr Allinson said that lockdown in England may have changed students’ minds as to when and how they intend to return. ’The department is more than willing to talk to any student who may be running into financial difficulties or problems with their return to the Isle of Man,’ he said.