Coronavirus: Universities plan to limit student access to campuses

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Most Irish universities are planning to limit access to campus to a few days a week for students and replace most lectures with online tuition in the new academic year.

However, colleges say students will still be able to access smaller face-to-face tutorials, laboratory work and other forms of group work on campus.

In addition, many are planning that students on campus will work together in “pods” or small groups to minimise physical mixing.

The capacity of larger lecture theatres in many colleges cases will have to be reduced by up to 90 per cent in order to comply with 2m social-distancing requirements.

University College Dublin, whose academic year is due to begin on September 21st, said it was planning to live-stream lectures, which would be physically attended by a much-reduced number of students.

The university’s president, Prof Andrew Deeks, said it would seek to ensure students can use the campus “to the greatest extent possible” and that core modules would have elements delivered in person.