Britain | Freshers’ covid

British universities may be particularly susceptible to covid-19

A rash of outbreaks greets returning students

Through a glass, darkly
|LEEDS

THE ANNUAL journey of more than 2m students to British universities is, as David Willetts, a former higher-education minister, has put it, a mass migration: “All it needs is Sir David Attenborough to provide an excited commentary as the convoys of heavily laden estate cars roll by.” This year, the migration has happened as case counts rise during a pandemic—with predictable consequences.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Freshers’ covid”

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