Covid: 2m rule to be scrapped for students in Wales in autumn

Student contact groups should be "in step with what adults can do in wider society", Wales' education minister has said.

To maximise in-person learning, Jeremy Miles wants to scrap 2m social distancing and introduce larger contact groups for adult education this autumn.

But relaxation of the rules will depend on there being a low or moderate risk.

Universities Wales said the plans would "allow institutions to significantly scale up in-person activities".

Mr Miles set out his plans for higher and further education settings for the autumn, which aim to minimise disruption in post-16 education and training.

The measures would also be applied to students in work-based and community-learning settings.

Rules will align with wider restrictions.

Based on the current restrictions in place, contact groups would be modelled on more than one group of up to six, or single groups of up to 30, depending on the setting and room capacity.

Each education institution will also need to conduct risk assessments and meet the requirement to take reasonable measures to stop the transmission of the virus.

If restrictions in wider society continue to be eased, the same restrictions would apply for adult education, Mr Miles said.

"Our guiding principle has to be a move towards education being enabled to operate as 'normally' as possible in the autumn, so we are planning on the basis that adult education will operate in step with what adults can do in wider society.

"Contact groups for adult learners will mean we can have more in-person learning and this must be our priority to rebalance the harms to education."

But he added close contacts could still be asked to self-isolate if contact tracers find them to be at risk of contracting and spreading Covid.

"We must all remember that although we are able to do more things, it is important we continue to keep Wales safe by self-isolating when unwell, accessing regular testing, supporting Test Trace Protect, wearing face coverings in indoor public areas, remembering to wash our hands and thinking about good ventilation," he said.

Prof Julie Lydon, who chairs Universities Wales, welcomed the announcement, saying it would enable universities to maximise in-person learning opportunities for students in the autumn within "safe, Covid-secure environments".

"This announcement also means we can be optimistic that these in-person opportunities will remain in place even if the risk in Wales were to increase.

"Key to this will be ensuring our university communities have high levels of vaccination and we would like to encourage all students to take up the offer of Covid vaccination."