Manchester Uni investigating after freshers host ‘Covid positive’ parties

The University of Manchester is investigating students who have been hosting “Covid positive” parties.

One fresher told The Guardian that one such party in halls on Saturday was disbanded by security, saying: “There was a flat party a few days ago which had a policy that you could only get in if you were positive. It was like their health-and-safety measure.”

Another said: “There are always invitations flying around on WhatsApp saying stuff like: ‘Come to flat eight, we’ve all got ‘rona.'”

“It’s hard to know how serious they are because I haven’t been, but some people do feel quite a lot of pressure to go out. There’s a massive amount of insecurity in Freshers’ Week, with everyone wanting to make friends. There’s a fear if you don’t go out you will be alone.”  

Yesterday it was confirmed Manchester Uni now has over 1,000 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus. The majority of teaching has now moved online for both UoM and MMU.

Manchester’s director for public health, David Regan, said the incidence rate in Manc’s 17-21 undergraduate age group is now 2,935 in every 100,000 people. This almost six times higher than the rest of Manchester, which itself now has the highest rate in the UK.

A University of Manchester spokesperson has announced an investigation. They said: “The university is aware of this incident and we strongly condemn this irresponsible behaviour and conduct.

“We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will deal with the students responsible via our internal disciplinary processes. The universities are meeting daily with Greater Manchester police and Manchester city council to review incidents and respond accordingly.

“The vast majority of our students are behaving responsibly, and we are supporting them if they are self-isolating. As a university we will continue to do all we can to keep our students, staff and the wider Manchester community safe.”

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