27 students from Queen’s University have been suspended after receiving notifications of coronavirus regulations violations from police.
The economy minister said they were suspended for up to two weeks.
Saint Mary’s University College Belfast said seven of its students have received Covid notices from the police and will be suspended from Thursday.
More than 100 Covid notices have been delivered by police in the Holyland and Stranmillis districts since Friday.
Districts have large numbers of students, But police said most of those who received notifications were not students.
Police said they were trying to tackle “criminal and anti-social activities”.
Saint Mary’s School Principal, Professor Peter Finn, said he received information about the abuse late Tuesday afternoon.
He said, “The issue will be addressed by referring to the college’s disciplinary procedures list, and students will be suspended tomorrow.”
Speaking to the Stormont Economics Committee on Wednesday, Diane Dodds warned students that their behavior may affect their careers in the future.
She appealed to students to “abide by the rules” and recognize the precautions they need to take during the epidemic and not engage in anti-social behavior.
“It might sound fun now, but it could have horrific health consequences for the one you love, and it could have consequences for your later life,” she said.
“So I issued this as a stark warning to students and I will support universities in taking measures to ensure the safety of people and that students know there are rules that must be adhered to.”
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Overnight, police issued 40 additional Covid notices, 12 ban notices, and three community decision notices in South Belfast.
Ch Insp Gavin Kirkpatrick said: “One young man received his first notice just after 16:30 yesterday.
“Unfortunately, this guy continued to ignore the advice throughout the evening and additional Covid notices were issued, resulting in a fine of £ 240.”
He added, “Once again, from last night until the early hours of this morning, the police, council officers and university representatives engaged with large numbers of people attending parties and gathering in the street in various locations.
“People need to stop this behavior.”
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