Uni students with health conditions

[FrogFairy]

Does anyone have DC at uni who have health conditions that make them vulnerable if they catch Covid-19?

If so, have they gone to uni with all the other students and taking their chances with Covid-19 or have uni made provisions for them to study at home?

Just wondering as DS was planning to stay home for now and study online but has now discovered he had face to face seminars. He is a 2nd year student and his housemates do not stick to the rules. They recently had a visitor to the house who had tested positive for COVID so if he goes back the chances are high that he will get it sooner or later.

I'm a lecturer and in our uni (at least in our department, it's possible that lab based sciences and med students are doing something different) there is no requirement for face to face teaching. We have lots of students who have stayed at home overseas and in the UK. Some have come back to halls, etc. but are doing all their learning remotely. We had planned to offer face to face seminars (socially distanced, small groups), but with an online option too. But the rising cases in London mean this has now all gone online.

My sense is that universities are really quite nervous and risk averse at the moment. Unless there is a practical component that can't be replicated remotely, I think they would be quite supportive of remote learning. It's worth talking to his tutor/course leader/etc. about his concerns. The other alternative is to change his living situation, so he is living alone (expensive) or somewhere he can have a bit less contact with others.

My department are offering face-to-face teaching, but students with health conditions can opt out for online only. As mindutopia says though, this might be different in other departments that provide courses with a practical element.

Our department offer a practical element - we've said that we won't force anyone into face to face that doesn't want to - whether that be for health reason, or that they feel anxious about it all.

Don't know how that will work - we'll just have to work it out case by case.

Thank you all for your replies.

There is no practical element to his course - business management.

I had thought about separate accommodation but to be honest I would struggle to afford it and had assumed most would be multi occupancy.

I suggested earlier that he contact his tutor and got the typical reply ... “I’ll do it later”