Petition to make all Leeds classes online due to coronavirus has 1000 signatures

A petition calling for the University of Leeds to be closed and for all classes to be taught remotely amid coronavirus fears has reached over 1000 signatures.

This follows recent sights of people in hazmat suits on campus and a rapid increase in the number of cases confirmed in the UK in the past week.

Those who launched the petition describe themselves as “a group of students” concerned about a mass outbreak and who instead want to take advantage of the online teaching system that the University already has in place in order to deliver all lectures for a period of time until the disease can be brought under control. They already have over 1,000 signatures (their goal is 1500).

Coronavirus is believed to be spread via person-person contact and through airborne droplets. Due to this, in their petition, the students call for permission to “study at home”, so avoiding large social gatherings where the virus could be easily spread, for example in a lecture theatre (we all know how quickly freshers flu went around).

On a wider scale, a petition to close schools and universities in general until the panic has subsided has reached over 170,000 signatures, meaning the Government will have to discuss the matter in parliament. However, with only a few weeks left of term and relatively few cases in the UK compared to other countries where the number of cases is markedly higher, whether or not this means the subject will be approved, is a different story (one can dream, though).

If you want to sign the petition for “Online teaching in the University of Leeds under COVID-19 threat” sign here.

If you want to sign the petition to close schools/universities generally across the UK under COVID-19 threats, sign here.

If you want to know more about COVID-19, including ways to protect yourself, or to check your symptoms, visit the NHS website here.