By Samuel Gill
De Montfort University’s COVID-19 testing centre at the Watershed which offers same day tests with results back within 30 minutes to one hour will remain open as the travel window begins.
Beginning today (THUR,DEC3), depending on arrangements within their faculty, students can arrange to travel home for Christmas early to continue studies online, with the staggered departures helping to space out use of public transport.
Students since the pilot began have been urged to take part in regular testing including to go home to see their loved ones over Christmas.
The testing centre will now open until December 9, which is the end of the travel window, with the centre which usually doesn’t open on weekends also having slots this Saturday and Sunday (5/6DEC).
This is to enable those who travel home in and around those dates to have a negative test before they travel home.
News will be released soon on testing and a January travel window for when students return after Christmas. Leicester currently inhabits Tier 3 in the new system which means that there is a potential risk when students do return in January that a sharp increase of students returning with no testing could see a rise in cases.
Tom Dews ,who studies third year media production, admitted that while it appears good on the surface, there are still issues with this travel window.
“I think it’s a good idea, but they have no way on tracking when people are going home and personally I am unsure on the situation as there are deadlines to complete after we all go home during this period,” he said.
These tests have been well utilised though. This includes not only staff and students with the extension of the testing centre seemingly done due to the demand and the concerns of students who may leave later in the travel window but would have to receive an earlier test.
