Sheffield students yet to travel wished ‘safe journey’ home as minister confirms Tier 4 travel exemption
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People are advised not to leave a Tier 4 area, or enter it from an area in Tiers 1, 2, or 3, as part of stricter coronavirus restrictions which were introduced in England on December 20 in response to a new, faster-spreading variant of Covid-19.
However, in a letter to students, the universities minister Michelle Donelan confirmed that these measures do not apply to university students who have not yet travelled home for the festive break.
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Hide AdIt comes after the majority of students in England were told they could leave university to return to their family home during a “travel window” from December 3-9.
Ms Donelan said she wanted to “give clarity and comfort to those who are yet to travel, including students on clinical placements or with jobs in their university town”.
In the letter, she said: “This government made a commitment that students could return home for Christmas and we are keeping it.
“To be clear, any student can travel home once during the period December 3 2020 [to] February 7 2021.
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Hide Ad“As previously stated, students will form part of the household they return to and will not count as a separate household. This remains the case for those who may be preparing to travel from or to a Tier 4 area.”
Following the news, Sheffield Hallam University wished its students a “safe journey” home if they are still planning to travel this festive season.
Posting on Twitter, the institution said: “If you are still in Sheffield but plan to travel home for the Christmas break, the government has clarified that you can still travel, even if this is to a Tier 4 area. Have a safe journey.”
Currently, Sheffield and the rest of South Yorkshire is under Tier 3 restrictions with areas such as London, Kent, Essex and Bedfordshire now in the tougher Tier 4.
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Hide AdFor Tier 4 areas in England, a stay-at-home order has been issued, with exemptions for those who have to travel to work or for education.
In other parts of the country not under the toughest measures – those in Tiers 1 to 3 – Christmas bubbles will now only be allowed on December 25.