Covid in Scotland: Hundreds of students told to self-isolate

Hundreds of students have been told to self-isolate after a suspected Covid-19 outbreak in a halls of residence.

All 500 residents at Parker House in Dundee have been asked to quarantine until contact tracing is complete.

A "significant" outbreak at Glasgow University and a number of Aberdeen University students testing positive have also been confirmed.

Nicola Sturgeon said it was "really, really important" that those affected followed advice on self-isolation.

The first minister said: "As we've seen in the past few days, Covid can spread very quickly in shared living settings and halls of residence.

"So please follow the rules on self-isolation.

"Please know that we appreciate the sacrifices you are making at this very important stage of your lives."

NHS Tayside is investigating three positive cases and a small number of suspected cases linked to Parker House.

Close contacts of the positive case, who is a student of Abertay University, are being contacted.

A total of 72 residents in Wavell House halls of residence in Aberdeen's Hillhead Student Village are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

They have been offered access to food and other supplies and affected areas are undergoing a deep clean.

The university said it was aware of social gatherings outside the Hillhead Halls of Residence at the weekend, and that some students had been fined for breaching coronavirus guidelines.

An Aberdeen University spokesperson said: "We appreciate this will be an anxious time for many but the safety of our staff, student and wider community are paramount.

"At the same time, it is vital that we all work together to comply with the guidelines to help keep our community safe and mitigate the risk of further spread."

Glasgow University said it was also dealing with a number of virus cases in student residences.

The students affected are self-isolating and are being supported to ensure they have access to food and other supplies, the university said.

Students across Scotland returned to socially-distanced campuses earlier this month.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney was asked about the student cases and the country's contact tracing system on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland.

He told the programme the Test and Protect system was "working well" and said more than 90% of the contacts of positive cases were currently being traced.

Mr Swinney added: "This is the highest of any country in the UK."

The deputy first minister also said some of the capacity for testing in Scotland had yet to be utilised.

Last week 11 residents in a block of student flats tested positive following a cluster at the University of Napier in Edinburgh.