A joint message from Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope and Dr Antony Freeling, Chair of the Colleges Committee, condemned students’ behaviour at “risky” C-Sunday gatherings on Sunday as “disappointing” in an email sent to students this afternoon.

The message refers to the gatherings as a “clear breach of all the public health measures designed to prevent the transmission of disease”. Locals at the scene reported that thousands of students had gathered at Jesus Green for Caesarean Sunday.

Toope referred to the actions over the weekend as “irresponsible” and a “slap in the face” to those “who continue to abide by Covid-related restrictions.”

The annual gathering on Sunday, which has been taking place for approximately 80 years, sees students gather on May Bank Holiday weekend to drink and celebrate a “final blowout” before exam season.

Toope referred to the event, “even at the best of times” as the cause of “unnecessary difficulties for the local Cambridge community.” He added that the gathering “has seriously tarnished our students’ hard won reputation as good citizens. It has also undermined the effectiveness of any public health messaging aimed at the wider community.”

The message called on students to “be especially vigilant about any increased transmission and a possible spike in infections” and asked that students abide by guidelines and continue to participate in the asymptomatic screening programme.