Above: University of Leeds, where over 500 people have tested positive for Coronavirus.

By Tom Robinson | UK                                                                                                                                        

A day before new lockdown measures are planned to be announced, NHS Director of Continuing Healthcare for London stated that University closures across the country, like the ones we saw in March, are "inevitable" as we move towards Christmas.

Ian Plant, 56, who has worked for the NHS for nearly 20 years, has raised concerns about universities staying open during the winter months as Coronavirus cases continue to rise. He said that whilst younger people are less likely to die from COVID, they should still "be wary that they might bring this back to their parents, or that shop keeper on the corner, for example".

The director continued to say that we can't "shy away from the idea" that the opening of educational settings was the biggest contribution to the second wave. He added that the best way to combat this right now, would be to stop the large outbreaks in universities, saying that the spikes "will only continue" if left for too long.

However, Nina, 22, a student at York St. John University, which has seen nearly 50 cases of Coronavirus since opening in September, said that "missing out on face to face lectures would be detrimental to the foundations of my university experience".

She followed by saying "if we can't see our new friends in person, that could have a massive domino effect on the rest of my three years here".

When asked about the mental wellbeing of students, Mr. Plant explained that it's a "trade-off between the health of the nation and the education of a generation". He implored students to be careful, follow social distancing measures and wear a mask. "That's the only way we can keep these buildings open", he concluded.