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

 

NHS Tayside is investigating a single positive case and a small number of suspected cases linked to Parker House in Dundee.

 

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

 

All 500 residents at the accommodation have been asked to self-isolate until contact tracing has been completed. Students across Scotland returned to socially-distanced campuses earlier this month.

 

Dr Daniel Chandler, NHS Tayside's associate director of public health, said: "We know from outbreaks in other university settings across Scotland that the virus can spread very quickly in student accommodation.

 

"Therefore, as a precautionary measure, we are contacting all residents of Parker House and advising them to self-isolate immediately."bThe university said it would review the advice in the coming days, but urged any students who began showing symptoms to book a test as soon as possible.

 

Professor Nigel Seaton, principal of Abertay University, said, "Our students in Parker House are being supported to self-isolate safely and we will remain in regular daily contact with them.

 

"The university already has enhanced cleaning and safety measures in place on campus, in line with national guidance, and the campus will remain open."

 

The latest case comes after a number of students at Aberdeen University tested positive for Covid-19. All residents in Wavell House halls of residence in the Hillhead Student Village are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days, unless advised otherwise. They have been offered access to food and other supplies and affected areas are undergoing a deep clean.

 

Meanwhile, the University of Glasgow 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. Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney was asked about the student cases and the country's contact tracing system.

 

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.