Nottingham Trent University (NTU) students are being asked to take “immediate action” in order to curve the rate of coronavirus.
It comes following a dramatic rise in cases of the virus in the city, making it the highest rate in England.
Over 2,000 new cases were recorded in the seven days leading to October 5.
For Nottingham City the rate of cases per 100,000 people has risen to 689.1, while the national average is 127.4.
Find more Nottingham news stories here.
Nottingham City Council’s leader, Councillor David Mellon, and Director of Public Health, Alison Challenger, have encouraged residents to follow new restrictions ahead of an official Government announcement.
In a statement to students, vice-chancellor Edward Peck said: “The restrictions may not come in to force until next week, but we are being asked to do all we can now to stop the spread of the virus.
“That means taking immediate action this weekend.
“All residents of our Nottinghamshire community, including students, are being asked by our local leaders to stay home, avoid any non-essential travel and not to mix with other households.
“By respecting this request we could collectively safe lives and avoid strengthened restrictions in the future.”
The vice-chancellor reiterated Nottingham Trent’s severe approach towards coronavirus rule-breakers, saying: “I know that the vast majority of you will want to do the right thing, and respect guidelines and advice.
“As part of our NTU community you have signed up to our Student Code of Behaviour.
“Remember any breach of government guidelines could lead to both fines from the police and disciplinary action from NTU, that may include being excluded from your course.”
Find more news about coronavirus in Nottingham here
Speaking yesterday (October 8), Ms Challenger addressed the rise in cases and the need to take action.
She said: “Our latest surveillance report published today shows that last week the number of cases in the city shot up to 1,600 from just under 300 the week before.
“That’s a dramatic increase, even allowing for any data glitches, and it’s abundantly clear that stricter measures are needed.
“We need local people to continue to stick to the existing rules as they have done overwhelmingly so far.”
Ms Challenger added: “In addition, we have said that because of the concerning rise in local positive cases and infection, everyone needs to stick rigidly to their social bubbles and not mix with other households.
“There is no need to wait for additional Government restrictions – it is clear that infection rates are rising which means that we need to do more than we have been so far in Nottingham to curb the spread of the virus.
“We are seeing an increase in Covid patients being admitted to hospital locally which is of serious concern.”
From Tuesday (October 6), Nottingham residents were encouraged not to:
- Mix households with people from other households, unless you are part of a support bubble
- This includes in your home, others’ homes and at leisure and hospitality venues
- You can still visit venues, but this should be limited to being with only your household/support bubble
By Matt Lee
Lead Image: Olimpia Zagnat / Platform
As well as our website, Platform has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.
For updates on what is going on from within the campus, there’s also a Facebook group. A service that allows you access to news from both us and fellow students.