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Bristol becomes first university to force students to wear masks and visors during seminars

Students at the Russell Group institution will be given a mask and visor when they arrive on campus
Students at the Russell Group institution will be given a mask and visor when they arrive on campus
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

Bristol has become the first university to force students to wear face masks and visors during all face-to-face classes.

Students at the Russell Group institution will be given a mask and visor when they arrive on campus and will be told they need to wear them to all classes and seminars that are taught in-person.

A spokesman for Bristol University said that a visor “should be considered as important as bringing your phone or laptop onto campus”.

If a student does not have a visor when they arrive at a class or seminar, they will be refused entry “in order to maintain a Covid-safe teaching space”.

“Students will get an initial allocation of two and we are encouraging them to pick these up before the start of teaching and remember to bring them with them to teaching activities," the spokesman added.

It comes as hundreds of thousands of students prepare to return to university for the start of the new academic year. Bristol University said it is mandatory to wear a visor in “any teaching space and when you are queueing outside rooms before teaching starts”.

Meanwhile face masks are compulsory in any indoor space where it is not possible to socially distance.

The move puts Bristol at odds with a number of other universities where staff are required to wear visors but not students.

Visors are seen as preferable to face masks for lecturers as they allow students to see their facial expressions.

Bristol’s student union (SU) welcomed the move with David Ion, the SU undergraduate education officer, saying: “I would encourage this to be extended to all indoor spaces, with a few exceptions such as studying at a library desk.”

However, some students complained saying that visors are “excessive and impractical”, adding that they may discourage their peers from attending lectures.

Marcus Down, a third year mathematics student, said: “I think it’s unnecessary to make people wear visors given that a mask is as effective in most settings and is already part of government guidelines.”

Sarah Jackson, a 20-year-old politics and international relations student, said: “If face masks are enough for all other settings, mandatory visors seem excessive and impractical.  “This also may discourage more students from attending lectures as it’s impractical to carry around.”