More than 1,800 students and staff from universities across the north-east of England, currently under tougher localised lockdowns, tested positive for coronavirus over the past week.
Newcastle University said 1,003 students and 12 members of staff were confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus in the past week, compared with 94 last Friday. At Northumbria University, there were also 619 new cases and Durham University confirmed 219 cases in students in the last week.
Most universities are planning to switch to online teaching for at least three weeks, except in cases where in-person lessons are essential.
Newcastle University said “the overwhelming majority of cases” were from “social and residential settings” and said appropriate measures were being taken to protect everyone on campus.
“We expected to see cases rise in light of the increase in cases both locally and nationally and all HE (higher education) institutions have to manage this on an ongoing basis,” a spokesperson said.
“We feel confident that we have appropriate measures in place to protect us all while we are on campus and to reduce the potential for transmission in our community,” the spokesperson said. Durham University has asked students living in two colleges to remain on campus for the next week following the sharp rise in cases and Northumbria University said it was “continuing to make extensive efforts” to provide support for its self-isolating students with online concierge services or food parcels delivered by staff and the students' union.