New Covid strain: UAE students worried about returning to UK varsities

New Covid strain: UAE students worried about returning to UK varsities

Many UAE-based students, who have returned to the country from the UK for their winter vacation, remain undecided about when to go back to their varsities.

The uncertainty hovers as more areas of England started facing the toughest tier four Covid-19 restrictions from Boxing Day. Mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland started new lockdowns from Saturday. The whole of Wales has already entered lockdown. Politicians in Wales and Scotland have apparently asked universities to phase student arrivals in January.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, many overseas students, who returned to their UAE home to be with their parents, are unsure about their future plans, especially due to the new strain of the virus and the lockdowns.

Neil Bhattacharya, an 18-year-old boy who went to Warwick University, has experienced it all, even as he stepped out his UAE home for the first time, looking forward to the much-longed varsity life.

His mother Madhulika Chatterjee explained: “Initially on the video calls, he seemed happy telling us about his new friends and rugby matches. But soon after, things changed and he tested positive for Covid-19. Although he didn't face any massive health challenges because of it, I