York St John to finish for Easter tomorrow because of COVID-19

York St John University has brought the beginning of their Easter holidays to begin tomorrow, 18th of March to the 19th of April, in response to yesterday’s government announcement of stringent social distancing measures to delay the transmission of COVID-19.

In an email sent to students this afternoon from the University Secretary, Dr Amanda Wilcox, told students that they will also be “suspending all face to face learning, teaching and assessment activities from Wednesday 18 March until the end of the summer term.”

The email told students to continue to work on assignments that have already been set and that information regarding the support for teaching and assessment at a distance will be coming in the following days and weeks.

The University campus buildings and accommodation will remain open with a significantly reduced staff presence, but all events taking place on campus have been cancelled.

The Medical Centre on the York campus will also close from the end of tomorrow and all students have been asked to use the Monkgate surgery instead.

The University has confirmed that they will remain open but are implementing the changes to “protect the health of students, staff and the wider community.”

Students with a weakened immune system or underlying health conditions have been advised to stay at home. If students feel unwell or unable to complete scheduled assessment they have been asked to refer to the exceptional circumstances process.

The email has asked students to “bear with” the University whilst they resolve some of the queries that will result from this course of action, reassuring students they will be in contact over the new few weeks to support students and their learning after the Easter break.

If students are self-isolating and need help or support they have been told to contact [email protected] or to refer to the University website where support is available.