Hancock refuses to rule out Christmas student lockdown

Matt Hancock has refused to rule out banning students from returning home at Christmas, to limit the spread of coronavirus outbreaks. The health secretary was responding to a question about concerns that students could be spreading Covid-19, amid numerous university-based outbreaks. At Glasgow University 120 students have tested positive for Covid-19 and are among 600 self-isolating there. Academics had warned against the mass movement of the UK's million students. The University and College Union had called for students to be taught wholly online, from home until Christmas, ahead of the start of term, but ministers advised some face-to-face learning was key to students' mental health.