Exeter students given a seven-day window to travel home for Christmas

The University of Exeter has informed students that the Department of Education has issued a ‘student travel window’ for those wanting to return home for Christmas. This will last from December 3-9.

Mike Shore-Nye, the Registrar and Secretary at Exeter University, wrote an email yesterday updating the Exeter student population with regards to travelling home for Christmas. This travel window has been proposed by the Government to reduce pressure on public transport.

The window spans the seven-day period of December 3-9, but this “excludes students who are already undertaking a period of isolation at the start of the travel window, those who subsequently test positive” or those who have been notified they need to self-isolate. The week has been chosen to ensure that students self-isolating are still able to travel home for Christmas once the quarantine period is over.

Shore-Nye advises that this ‘travel window’ does not apply to students who live outside the UK, however stresses that there may be difficulties due to travel restrictions to their destination. He also reminds students to check for restrictions upon returning to Exeter, such as if self-isolation is required.

To allow for students to go home before the end of term, from December 4 all teaching at the University of Exeter will go online, with the exception of “teaching activities requiring specialist spaces or where online provision is not possible.” After December 8, this will all be online and timetables will be adjusted to reflect this.

To ensure students do not spread Covid-19 to their loved ones, extra testing will be provided from November 30. Shore-Nye encourages students wishing to return home to take a test and, if negative, travel home as soon as possible.

Exeter has had relatively low case numbers over the past week, with a rolling weekly average of seven. Therefore, Shore-Nye warns students it is “vital that we all observe the current national restrictions in place as part of the second national lockdown,” so that the ‘travel window’ is not impacted by a sudden increase of cases.

The email also revealed that social and sports activities will not be allowed to restart after December 2, however no further information has been provided.

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