Students across the country will be permitted to travel to university for the beginning of next term, even if they are travelling from Tier 4 areas.

An email seen by Varsity made reference to a letter from the Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, which reportedly says that students currently living under Tier 4 restrictions will be able to travel to University as previously planned.

A spokesperson for the University told Varsity: “The University’s position on the return of students next term remains unchanged, but will be kept under review over the break.” They also confirmed that they “do have contingency plans in place.”

This comes as London and the South-East of England, alongside parts of the East of England, were placed under Tier 4 restrictions from Sunday morning, which sparked anxiety among affected students about whether they would be able to return to Cambridge.

These anxieties follow the announcement that Tier 4 restrictions require that people do not enter or leave Tier 4 areas. 

An article published in The Guardian yesterday also states that people leaving or entering Tier 4 areas “without a reasonable excuse” will be fined by Police. There will also be additional patrols at railway stations to prevent non-essential travel.

The new Tier 4 restrictions also include the closure of non-essential retail, gyms and hospitality, and reinstating the “Stay at Home” message that was introduced during the first lockdown in March earlier this year.

On Saturday evening, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced that travel between Scotland and England was to be strictly limited, and could only take place with a “reasonable excuse,” which includes “travel to school, college or university.”