The test and trace system should have been prepared for potential coronavirus outbreaks in universities

Editorial: The inconvenient truth for the government is that all roads lead back to the glaring absence of the ‘world beating’ system promised by Boris Johnson

A student wearing a face mask passes through the University of Glasgow campus (AFP/Getty)

Britain’s universities are now on the front line of the battle against coronavirus, following outbreaks in several institutions after students returned for the new academic year. In Scotland, students have been told not to go to pubs and restaurants or socialise with members of other households this weekend. UK ministers have confirmed it might be necessary to tell students not to return to their family home this Christmas so they do not unwittingly become super-spreaders who put older relatives at risk.

The development is hardly a surprise and yet, like this month’s return of schools, appears to have caught the government off guard and behind the curve – not least in ensuring adequate testing capacity. This government often seems to lack a basic ingredient: common sense. Although it insists it has been working closely with those in higher education to ensure a safe return, some academics claim the government was warned about the risks this summer, and still cut the universities adrift.