The government has announced that students will have a week of mass covid testing before they head home for the Christmas holidays.
Students at the University of Reading will be tested before they are allowed to travel home for Christmas.
The mass testing programme is in a bid to stop students spreading the virus as they return to towns, cities and villages across the country.
Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Reading, said: “We have expressed our support for the mass testing of students, and are working with our local authorities on the logistics of the proposed programme. We will continue to work with partners in Reading and nationally to offer logistical and scientific support around testing.
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“My colleagues in the Reading School of Pharmacy have been researching aspects of mass testing since the start of the pandemic, and their work – and the support of hundreds of local volunteers and donors – has helped move the science forward. Thanks to the walk-through NHS testing facility we recently opened on site, we already have good facilities on campus to deal with testing of students with symptoms.
“We have worked hard to help control the spread of the coronavirus within the University and the local community, and will continue our efforts to allow students to spend Christmas with their loved ones, and carry on studying safely at the University in the new year.”
Mass testing is also set to be rolled out to 66 local authorities and Matt Hancock also confirmed NHS staff will be tested twice-weekly.
Liverpool is the first place in the country to offer mass testing to all residents.
The week of testing in Reading is due to take place between November 30 and December 6, giving students the first week of December to travel home.
The universities minister has promised fast turnaround for tests. In some cases this could be as soon as one hour after testing.
Those found positive will have to stay in isolation for the mandatory two weeks.
The testing kits will be given to universities for free.
Many universities are expected to move teaching online, allowing students to head home as soon as they receive a negative test result.
Reading University has its own testing centre, but this will only be used for Christmas testing if students have tested positive using the government fast-track system, for a second test.
