If students are on campus, Covid-19 outbreaks are inevitable

Universities must accept a level of risk and implement measures to minimise the transmission of infections, says Andrew Lee 

Published on
October 2, 2020
Last updated
October 2, 2020
Andrew Lee
Students socially distancing with face masks
Source: kzenon/iStock
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Reader's comments (3)

#1 Submitted by NJF on October 2, 2020 - 12:51pm
It's not JUST the s-too-dense, academics and research staff have social lives outside the Universities too. So one attending a wedding, catching Covid, then bringing it to work IS NOT any students fault.
#2 Submitted by cathyu on October 3, 2020 - 5:13pm
What percentage of university staff are over 50 and being told that it is safe for them to teach face to face on a Covid secure campus? Can we be confident that no lecturer will die because of exposure to Covid from students? Surely even one lecturer dying from Covid is too many. We are not key workers, we are knowledge workers, and didn't sign up for this! Forcing people to teach face to face when they feel at risk breaks the psychological contract with the employer. For many of my colleagues, trust in their employer is irrevocably broken at this point.
#3 Submitted by inuk on October 5, 2020 - 8:35am
In my university some lectures that are NOT practical or lab-based are run in rooms without adequate ventilation. Staff have been told that masks are optional. This is a danger for both staff and students. The same lectures can be delivered remotely and that would be safe for everyone involved. The absurdity is that staff have being told to deliver the lecture face-to-face AND online at the same time and some students are actually only attending remotely (for their own reasons, not because they are self-isolating). I'm not even sure individuals (staff and students alike) that are stressed and worried for their health and that of their loved ones are provided with a safe enough environment to allow adequate mental space to concentrate during a lecture. Practical or lab-based sessions need specific attention, but in the majority of cases teaching face-to-face is completely unnecessary and healty risk for everyone involved.

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