Chinese universities shutting campuses amid new Covid cases

Chinese universities are facing a new round of lockdowns after Covid cases emerged in several cities.

Yangzhou, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, was among the first in which local authorities announced city-wide restrictions, which will put 11,587 students who are on campus under strict quarantine. Institutions in other parts of the province have also been told to ask students to “stay on campuses unless it is necessary to go out”.

The health authorities of Yangzhou reported 58 local Covid cases on 5 August, while China reported 80 local cases in mainland areas. The new round of Covid cases was reported to have started in a Nanjing airport in late July, after which several provinces confirmed new cases including Jiangsu, Hunan, Henan, Shandong and Hubei.

The Ministry of Education in China has released an urgent notice to all institutions, asking them to review existing Covid policies, such as cancelling large gatherings, putting travel restrictions on trips to areas with medium to high Covid risk and promoting vaccine rollout among faculties.

In response, universities across the country have decided to either delay or cancel their activities.

Nanjing University of Science and Technology and Nanjing Tech University have closed their campuses to the public and told students to stay within campus. Southeast University, also in Nanjing, has decided to bring its autumn term forward immediately and rearrange the dates of this year’s summer holiday.

Tsinghua University advised students who are in areas with medium to high Covid risk not to return to campus for the autumn term until further notice. The same approach has been taken by other institutions such as Fudan University, Sun Yat-Sen University and Beijing Language and Culture University.

Other measures include postponing the new semester, suspending summer internship schemes and requiring students to submit a 14-day health report before returning to campus.

The long lockdown implemented by many Chinese universities last year, several months after case numbers had gone down, triggered social media outrage among students. There has also been mounting research into the negative mental health impacts that the country’s long lockdown had on its students.

karen.liu@timeshighereducation.com