Patrols in cities and campuses aim to stop mass gatherings that flout pandemic regulations
Dancing, drinking and flirting at wild parties will be firmly off the student timetable this term – even for those tempted to attend an illegal event. Universities are paying for “Covid marshals” to break up mass gatherings and stop undergraduates flouting pandemic rules.
In Newcastle, police will carry out “high visibility” patrols in student hubs every night until Christmas, with the city’s two main universities picking up the bill. Newcastle and Northumbria universities said they would provide the additional funding as part of their Operation Oak community initiative, which already costs £125,000 a year.
