The Guardian view on universities: a bailout is in all our interests | Editorial

By helping to solve a short-term funding crisis, ministers could signal their plans for a national recovery

There is no reason why Britain's universities should suffer permanent damage as a result of coronavirus. But, like many other institutions, they will need support in order to avoid it. The immediate issue is the present. The deaths from Covid-19 of people such as Ade Raymond, who was studying for a nursing degree at Middlesex university, will leave big gaps.

On top of such personal losses comes the virus's wider impact. While lectures and teaching continue online, the removal of access to libraries and laboratories, and, above all, to people, takes a toll - particularly on students in their final year, or on one-year courses. Following February's strikes, some will feel they have lost half a year of their higher education. Those reliant on income from casual work (often in retail or catering), or tied into rental agreements for shared houses, risk increased debts and other hardships.