Coronavirus: Almost 400 QUB students and staff self-isolating

Almost 400 students and staff at Queen's University in Belfast (QUB) are self-isolating and over 160 have tested positive for Covid-19.

As of 2 October, figures obtained by BBC News NI show that 388 students and staff have been asked to self-isolate.

By the same date, the university had been notified of 166 positive cases during the first two weeks of term.

A QUB spokesperson said the safety and wellbeing of staff and students was the university's first priority.

They also said that evidence gathered during contact tracing indicated that transmission was occurring "in social or accommodation settings as oppose to elsewhere on the campus".

About 25,000 students began the new academic year at Queen's on 21 September.

Many are taking a significant proportion of their degree courses online, and the university has also put in place a number of safety measures on campus.

That includes one-way systems in buildings and widespread use of face coverings.

A testing centre for Covid-19 is also in operation at Queen's, although it is also used by the wider public.

However, there has been a dispute between the University and College Union (UCU) at QUB and university management over the level of face-to-face teaching.

According to the figures obtained by BBC News NI, the majority of cases in university accommodation are in the student village at Elms BT9 on Belfast's Malone Road.

However, over 250 of those who have either tested positive or are self-isolating do not live in university accommodation.

Of those self-isolating or who have tested positive, around 90% are students and 10% are staff.

A QUB spokesperson said the university was in daily contact with the Public Health Agency (PHA) to ensure it was continuing to apply the correct measures to limit the spread of infection.

"Following a positive case, any students or staff members who are considered to be at risk, including other members of the household, are asked to self-isolate and students in University accommodation are being fully supported to do so," they said.

"Student accommodation that has shared facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms is treated as a household.

"Although the number of staff and students affected remains a minority, the increase in number of positive cases is a concern and the university fully appreciates that this may cause anxiety for students, staff and their families."

The QUB spokesperson added: "It should be remembered that the numbers being reported are cumulative and not reflective of the number of new cases on a particular day.

"Queen's is closely monitoring the situation and will not hesitate to apply additional measures to further protect members of our community as considered necessary in discussions with the PHA.

A number of universities across the UK have seen significant numbers of Covid-19 cases despite many degree courses being taught mainly online.