Police break up parties in student halls in Edinburgh

Police have been called in to break up a number of parties in the main halls of residence at the University of Edinburgh.

The officers said they dispersed “numerous” groups Friday night in Pollock’s halls of residence, which housed about 1,900 students.

Students in Scotland You are asked not to go to bars, parties or restaurants This weekend, in an effort to slow down the coronavirus outbreak.

The university said that “a small number” of the students had tested positive for the virus.

It is understood that some of the positive cases were in a Holland House block, which is part of Pollock Halls.

Holland House resident Reese Chamberlain called BBC Scotland to say he was told that the entire building had been “closed” after a positive test was discovered.

A university spokesman said, “It has not requested that entire halls be isolated from the student residence.”

Scottish Police confirmed that they had been summoned to Pollock Halls of Residence, on the edge of Holyrood Park, after “informants” raised concerns that both parties were violating regulations prohibiting the mixing of more than one home inside.

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Inspector David Hughes told BBC Scotland: “The Police of Scotland came and spoke to a number of parties and we dispersed these individuals.” [Officers] Provide education and advice as to what is in line with current regulations and what is not in line with it.

“From the police point of view, we were relatively well received there. We had some people who weren’t satisfied with the regulations – but we had more laws in place now rather than the police response.”

Inspector Hughes said officers broke up a number of small parties of five to seven students with people “apparently not from the same house.”

He said that no arrests had been made and no fines issued.

“People of that age should feel strange and you can understand their frustrations regarding the current regulations but in general the reason for this is to protect UK health,” the officer added.

Cases of Covid-19 have soared in Scotland over the past two weeks, with … 714 positive tests were confirmed on Saturday.

Universities in Scotland pledged last week to make clear to students “categorically” that they should not hold parties or communicate with people outside of their residence.

They were also told that they could not return home under the laws of the Coronavirus in Scotland, as they are believed to have formed a new family with those they now live with.

Status “say”

However, international student Mr. Chamberlain said there was a “mass exodus” of students who were supposed to be in isolation in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He told BBC Scotland that the situation at his home in Holland House was “appalling”.

“A Zoom meeting has now been held for students affected by the same home, where a representative told a small group of students that the entire building will be closed, not just the damaged house, causing chaos in the community,” he said.

“The food wasn’t delivered until late in the afternoon, which made me hungry and without supplies for the first part of the day.

“Now people are panicking because nobody has received any real details about this, and nobody knows how it will be enforced either. Some are out and about getting supplies not knowing if this really goes against the rules.”

A first-year student living in another building in Pollock Halls told the BBC that there was a “very strange atmosphere” around the university.

“There’s always police here now,” she said. “It feels like we’re being watched 24/7, which is a little scary.”

“My friend is in Holland House and she said that all the Dutch blocks were closed and there are people patrolling to make sure no one left.”

Angus Graham Rak, a first-year student at the University of Edinburgh, said the restrictions on students were “a blow to the teeth”.

He said, “We were all encouraged to come to the halls of residence and meet new people, but now we are being criticized for doing so.”

“We were all left wondering why we bothered moving here as no one I know has had any face-to-face interactions with the staff yet – we might have just finished the course from home.

“It’s almost as if we’ve been totally cheated on because we’ve at least promised some kind of student experience in the midst of the pandemic, and yet we’re now basically restricted to our apartments with signs plastered around the building telling us not to make friends.”

The health teams are also dealing with a significant outbreak among students at the University of Glasgow, where 172 students tested positive.

There are also outbreaks among students in Dundee and Aberdeen.

A university in Edinburgh has been working with the NHS Lothian Health Protection team to ensure students are provided with “the information and support they need”.

A spokesperson added: “We ask that students who have attended parties recently to be vigilant regarding any symptoms of Covid-19 and that all students follow directions as appropriate.

“We continue to monitor the situation, keep our students and staff informed as appropriate, and follow all Scottish government guidelines.

“We provide care and support – including mental health support – for those who isolate themselves in both university-owned and private housing.”