Foreign students in British unis face tight anti-virus restrictions

COVENTRY (England) • Poring over her books in the library at Coventry University, far from her home in Equatorial Guinea, Ms Agnes Genoveva Cheba Ade is determined to keep up with her studies despite Covid-19 restrictions.

She admits it has not been easy being abroad during a pandemic, with many courses moved online and socialising restricted.

"I spent the pandemic away from my family so the isolation was even harder for me," said Ms Cheba Ade, a former Miss World contestant, who has been studying economic sciences at Coventry University in central England since 2017.

"I was struggling with anxiety, depression at times and I felt a little bit overwhelmed." But she added: "I'm from a humble family so... being here today at university, being able to complete my course and get my degree... I think it's really something I have to cherish every day."

On campus, where classes resumed in the middle of this month partially online, reminders for students to maintain social distancing are everywhere. Access to the library is one-way, the route is peppered with hand sanitiser stations and students must reserve a place - then disinfect their workstation with the wipes provided.

Wearing a mask is encouraged but not obligatory.

Students' social lives are also limited, with many welcoming events held virtually, which is a challenge for new arrivals trying to settle in, said Mr George Okata, a member of Coventry's student body.

Britain has had some 42,000 deaths in the outbreak - the worst in Europe - and millions of people are under renewed local restrictions due to a surge in cases.

The British government has tightened restrictions on socialising in parts of north-east England.

From today, residents in seven areas including urban centres such as Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham will be barred from socialising indoors with people from outside their household or strictly defined social bubble.

The curbs will apply in homes, pubs and restaurants, and people who fail to comply will face fines enforceable by law, the Health Ministry said. Coronavirus incidence rates were above 100 per 100,000 in six of the seven areas last week.

"Unfortunately, the number of cases continues to rise sharply," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, announcing the new restrictions in Parliament on Monday.

"We know a large number of these infections are taking place in indoor settings outside the home. And so, at the request of the local councils, with whom we've been working closely, we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting," he said.

Schools and workplaces will not be affected by the restrictions.

Over 30 universities around Britain have reported more than 717 Covid-19 cases among students and staff since the new school term started earlier this month, with thousands of students in self-isolation, local media said on Monday.

Manchester Metropolitan University, for instance, has asked around 1,700 students to self-isolate after 127 cases were confirmed. The University of Glasgow has 172 confirmed cases, with 600 students self-isolating, said Sky News.

Up until now, Coventry University has not experienced the clusters of cases seen at other British universities, which - often after illegal parties - caused them to isolate hundreds of students.

Foreign students from outside the European Union pay significantly more than British or EU students, and their fees are a major source of income for universities.

In Coventry University, they normally make up one-third of the 35,000-strong student body. The number of foreign registrations has halved this month. However, provost Ian Dunn said many were taking up the option offered routinely by the university to start in January, or even wait until May.

Despite pessimistic predictions that foreign student numbers might collapse this autumn, applications body Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has seen a 9 per cent increase in international undergraduate admissions, although EU applications fell 2 per cent.

However, this is not enough to relieve the pressure on universities, which have invested heavily in online learning and are also preparing for the end of the post-Brexit transition period in December.

Mr Nick Hillman, from the Higher Education Policy Institute think-tank, cautioned that registration data "doesn't necessarily mean all those people will actually turn up". He also pointed out that a lot of international students were post-graduates, who were not included in the UCAS figures.

And there was a "real worry that dropout rates might go up this year, because when they (the students) get to university, their experience might not be quite what they expected", he said.

Universities UK, which represents higher education institutions, said it was unclear how many international students who had received offers would take up their places.

Some institutions, like Queen's University Belfast, have decided to leave nothing to chance, chartering a flight to bring in hundreds of Chinese students, The Times reported.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA, REUTERS