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Students hailed at Harper Adams University graduation events

Some of the Harper Adams graduates
Some of the Harper Adams graduates
Some of the Harper Adams graduates

Ceremonies were staged for students who completed their courses in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years.

Both days saw morning and afternoon ceremonies recognise the successes of those graduates whose events were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Harper Adams Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken Sloan, said: “Remarkably, the last time a degree congregation convened in this place was three years ago, back in 2019.

“None of us could have known at that point that Covid-19 would cast its shadow across every aspect of our life and create additional challenges across three academic years.

“Thanks to the resilience and inventiveness of our students and employees we were able to maintain teaching, research and our Future Farm throughout the pandemic.

“Things didn’t always go to plan but I believe that everyone studying during this historic chapter gained additional skills and a maturity which makes them even more valuable citizens, at work and in their communities.”

Monday’s ceremony was addressed by Dr Rebecca Mclean, a senior postdoctoral researcher working on developing multivalent livestock vaccines against new emerging pandemic viruses and by Jonathan Glen, senior operations manager of road-rail machinery manufacturers Rail-Ability.

A ceremony on Wednesday was addressed by Harriet Wilson, head of agriculture and sustainable sourcing at McDonald’s UK & Ireland, and Chris Megarry, head of UK GP farming at Aviagen.

Earlier this year, Harper Adams was named the best university in the country for career prospects at the What Uni Student Choice awards – an award it has held every year since 2016.graduation events

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COVID-stricken Adams may resume outdoor events as soon as Friday

COVID-stricken Adams may resume outdoor events as soon as Friday

Speaking in a virtual press conference on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said his doctors have cleared him to participate in outdoor events as soon as Friday, which would be five days after he received his first positive test for coronavirus — as long as he wears a mask.

The mayor, dressed in a blue suit and pink tie, spoke for roughly 20 minutes as he stood before a podium at Gracie Mansion. He held the virtual press conference to comment on President Joe Biden’s new restrictions on “ghost guns” as they were discussed publicly on Monday.

Aside from sounding slightly hoarse, he appeared healthy. His office said on Sunday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be working remotely as he recovered from the virus, which manifested in the form of a raspy voice.

“I feel fine. No fever, no runny nose, no aches and pains outside of the raspiness in my voice,” Adams said.

The 61-year-old mayor credited his condition to the fact that he was vaccinated and had received one booster shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those who test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms should isolate for at least five days, regardless of vaccination status.

Still, the infection with COVID-19 came at an inopportune moment for the mayor, who tested positive on his 100th day in office. Prior to announcing his illness, the mayor abruptly canceled a morning of in-person events, including appearing at an opening day event at Coney Island’s amusement park. The mayor had also been expected to deliver a speech this week on his 100 days that would spell out the next steps in his agenda.

Some have criticized the mayor for failing to wear a mask consistently at all of his events. He attended the Gridiron Club dinner last weekend in Washington, D.C, where more than 70 attendees have since tested positive for COVID-19.

On Friday, he went to opening day at Yankee Stadium before departing for Albany, where he spent Saturday mixing with lawmakers at events organized by the Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian legislators. He was seen maskless in some videos taken by protesters inside the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

Asked by a reporter whether he would change his behavior in light of his infection, Adams said that he would still “try to be as visible as possible as we get through COVID and many of the other crises that we’re facing.”

“I just think it’s important to continue to encourage New Yorkers to be vaccinated and boosted,” he said.

The mayor also said his diagnosis would not affect his broader policy of rolling back pandemic restrictions.

Cases have been steadily rising in New York City, driven by the BA.2 variant. The seven-day average of new daily cases is now more than 1,800, compared to under 100 cases per day a month ago, according to the city’s health data.

Adams has repeatedly said his decisions on ending restrictions would be based on the guidance of city health officials. The surge in virus cases recently prompted the mayor to postpone his decision to lift the mask mandate for children under 5.

“What happens to me personally should not determine how I make policies,” he said.

Adams began the press conference by saying that the number of ghost guns — untraceable firearms, which can be assembled from home — had “skyrocketed” in New York, with 163 recovered this year as of last week — five times as many as the same period last year.

“This is one of the most important weapons that feeds the sea of violence in our city and in our country,” he said.

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Eric Adams Drops Out of In-Person Events Pending COVID Test Results

Eric Adams Drops Out of In-Person Events Pending COVID Test Results

One week after attending a reported “super-spreader” event in Washington, D.C., Mayor Eric Adams has been pulled from in-person events while he waits on additional COVID-19 test results.

Adams’ press secretary tweeted that the New York City mayor already took a rapid test that came back negative. It wasn’t clear if Adams was exhibiting any related symptoms.

The announcement followed an updated public schedule sent out to media Sunday morning that removed multiple events, including an appearance on MSNBC and a ribbon cutting at Coney Island’s opening day of Deno’s Wonder Wheel.

Adams was still waiting on a PCR test result Sunday afternoon that was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” his press secretary said.

The mayor is regularly tested for COVID-19 and has tested negative numerous times since returning from Washington, DC this past weekend,” Press Secretary Fabien Levy said Friday.

Adams was attending in-person events as recently as Friday when he was in Albany, according to his public schedule.

The mayor’s testing comes during a stretch in which several Democratic lawmakers and prominent officials have contracted the virus since dining out at the Gridiron Club last weekend.

Since then, at least 67 people have reportedly tested positive for COVD-19, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and NY Rep. Gregory Meeks.