Students will be going home for Christmas

That’s the aim as the Government announced plans to mobilise tens of thousands of students to make sure they can return to their families for the festive break.

University bosses across Lancashire are now trying to work out the logistics of making sure students are tested so they can go home in early December.

And, they have got to sort out what will happen to those who test positive.

While many students are delighted with the news- which means they won’t be stuck miles from home over the festive period, some union leaders are worried about the potential implications of the mass movement of young people across the country so soon after a national lockdown.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union said: “Allowing just a week for around one million students to travel across the country leaves little room for error.”

At the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and Burnley, work is already underway to get testing sorted.

Unlike other North West universities. UCLan has had very low number of cases of Covid-19.

A spokesman said: “Thanks to the hard work of staff and students across the university our Covid infection rates on campus remain low.

“ We are working with government to ensure that all students living in student accommodation have the opportunity to be tested during early December and can travel home as safely as possible for Christmas.”

The next term starts in January 2021 and UCLan plans to continue to offer a blended approach of face-to-face and online teaching for most courses as it has done since September.