The government will be forced to tell university students to remain on campus during the Christmas break, an expert has said.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Unit and former government special adviser to the universities minister made the claim amid concerns of outbreaks if students go back home at the end of term.
Experts are worried about the risk of spreading the disease into students' local communities.
Warnings reportedly published in the latest minutes from SAGE meetings said outbreaks spilling over from universities are more likely to coincide with the Christmas and New Year period.
Documents said this needs national monitoring and decision making, reports said.
"Ministers will have to tell students that it’s best you stay away from home this year. It is no different from any other situation," Mr Hillman told the i newspaper.
"If you are following the science then what else can the Government say?
"The worry will be if they do go home that they will bring the virus back to their parents and families. It is just another on the long list of sacrifices people will have to make to battle this disease."
The Health Secretary on Thursday didn't rule out the possibility that university students would have to stay away from home over Christmas to reduce the spread of Covid-19 if there were widespread issues with outbreaks on campus.
"We haven't reached that point yet... I don't rule out anything," Matt Hancock told BBC when asked about the possibility.
"We don't rule out anything. It's not something that I want to do. But what's important is that we, of course, keep people safe and keep the virus under control."
A Downing Street spokesman would not be drawn on the reports or rule anything out, but said: “What is important in the event there is a specific outbreak on a campus is that steps are taken to ensure the virus is not spread more widely.”
Last night the Mirror reported that hundreds of people living in student halls have been forced to self-isolate after two "significant coronavirus clusters" at the University of Glasgow.
The university said 124 students have tested positive for coronavirus resulting in more than 600 being told to isolate but they suspect the "actual number is likely to be higher".
The outbreaks have been identified in the Murano Street and Cairncross residences and according to university sources they were largely due to social activity during Freshers' week, GlasgowLive reports.
The news came as 500 people living in student accommodation in Dundee have been told they must self-isolate after a case of coronavirus at Abertay University.
There are also several possible infections that may be linked to Parker House which is home to the students.
Contact tracers are attempting to identify anyone the infected student may have passed the virus on to but until then all 500 residents at the private accommodation block must isolate.