According to the BBC, a third of all Covid-19 cases in early September were people aged between 20 and 29.
Meanwhile, social media and the news have been awash with pictures of students returning to university for the new semester and embracing their newfound freedom with parties and mass gatherings.
To be clear, I have no intent of defending those who flout the rules. What I take issue with is how official statistics and tabloid headlines distort responsibility and mask the multitude of reasons why Covid-19 is spreading amongst younger demographics.
Clearly I’m biased. I’m a young(ish) person between 20 and 29. However, my objective here is to put these figures in a more contextually grounded argument by flagging a number of issues.
Issue 1: Shared households
Students don’t live alone. Neither do a majority of young people. Simply put, it’s not affordable.
In my first year of university, like the vast majority of freshers, I lived in halls. I had my own bathroom but shared a kitchen with 9 other (particularly unhygienic) people. Many others lived in the majestic ziggurats UEA is famous for. These flats hold 12 people, have 2 showers, and 3 toilets.
There simply isn’t the means for individuals in flats such as these to self-isolate or social distance when so many are sharing the same facilities.
Clearly not every single student is living in a house of 12. However, a vast majority are sharing kitchens and bathrooms, significantly increasing the potential for transmission of Covid-19.
Issue 2: Workforce demographics
Young people also make up a significant proportion of the retail and hospitality industries.
Covid-19 has brought these industries to their knees because the services they provide cannot be done remotely. Incidentally, they were also the first industries to return to work in significant numbers.
Whilst office-based roles are able to work from home, this not possible for the types of industries students and young people typically work in.
These roles bring workers into contact with a huge number of people. Although steps have been taken to limit this risk, it cannot be overcome entirely.
Issue 3: Transportation
Finances are tight, particularly at the moment.
Public transportation is often more affordable than owning a car or paying for taxis on a regular basis. It comes as little surprise that young people on low wages, with limited savings, or those trying to balance student budgets are the most likely to use public transport.
Unfortunately, public transport involves people, and makes the risk of transmission higher, ultimately placing those at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum at greater risk.
Issue 4: University policy
Here’s where it gets contentious. Rental income from student accommodation is worth a fortune to universities and private landlords alike. Giving up that income by encouraging students to stay at home does not make financial sense.
As such, students were encouraged to return to university, with assurances that online learning would be temporary and plans were in place to resume face-to-face lectures and seminars as soon as possible.
The financial manoeuvrings at play here are a standalone topic, but the fact remains that students were actively encouraged into their current living situations because of their economic utility, regardless of their personal safety or risk to others.
What are we left with?
Yes, infection rates are increasing amongst young people. Yes, their mobility puts others at risk. However, we must also acknowledge the socio-economic factors at work here that necessitate that movement and render young people more at risk of transmission and infection.
Shared living spaces, exposed work environments, the use of public transportation, and university policy have each exposed young people to Covid-19. To label students off to uni, or young people returning to work as a danger to others is to dismiss the constraints placed upon them by economics and politics.
Steph Clarke 