Previously, a statement issued by the University had warned that “It may be that if you leave the country, you find that you have issues with re-entry into the UK which could then affect your university studies”. This is likely to be of particular concern for international students, who may wish to return to their home countries during the up-coming Easter break.
Asked if the university had contacted international students privately to advise them, one Italian student said “… we weren’t given any specific guidance on returning to our home countries for the Easter break. We got the email everybody got, where they just referred us to the government advice on the topic”. This is despite the fact Italy now has so many cases of COVID-19 that the whole country is in lock-down, with all shops apart from pharmacies and food shops closed until the 25th March. Universities, schools, gyms, museums, night-clubs, and other venues where large numbers of people gather have also been closed.