AIBU to not go to university because of coronavirus?

[LittleBoyJuly2020]

I'm late 30's, 19 weeks pregnant and studying for a degree at university. Five students at my university are self isolating due to recent trips. I'm supposed to be in 4 days a week.
I'm not the biggest worrier in the world but this is a bit too close to home and being pregnant has made me really anxious about this. I could study at home just fine for a few weeks (lessons are put online each day) and so wouldn't miss much.

If I wasn't pregnant I wouldn't be particularly worried but I imagine pregnant women are more vulnerable just like those with a low immune system are?

While I think it's a little silly, you're pregnant and so that adds in the extra worry. If you can study from home then maybe do but I'd just worry about whether you can do that for the length of time needed to be fully clear (it could be months)

Speak to your university. If you're supposed to be signing in to lectures, you'll show as non-attending, even if you're working from home. Your university will have a corona virus policy they're working to.

It's very unlikely they'll buy "I want to study from home until corona virus is no longer an issue" though. Self isolating doesn't mean that they have the disease, but will mean that they won't be anywhere near you because they're stuck at home.

I would go in, personally.

YABU corona virus will be around for a while so you would need to stay off uni till your baby is born by this logic.

YABU corona virus will be around for a while so you would need to stay off uni till your baby is born by this logic.

If she went to university after the baby is born she'd pass it on to the newborn.

Are your uni not on strike?

In the kindest way possible, YABU. Will you literally stay in your house for the foreseeable future? Not going to the shop/ out for a walk? Pregnancy appointments?

All the advice I've heard has basically said to go about your day as normal until advice changes. If you stay off university then you need to stay home as you could catch it anywhere. It is so bad for mental health/ physical health to stay at home for weeks on end unless you are told to be in a quarantine.

I understand your concerns, but how long would this be for? You need to have a concrete plan as your degree may suffer if you just don’t come in indefinitely

Until there are actual cases among students I don't see why you shouldn't go.

Even so I don't think there's any evidence that pregnant women are at an increased risk

IIRC, there's at least one case of a mother passing it on to her newborn with no serious consequences.

Well don’t cross a picket line, so don’t go in. But apart from that, there are currently very few cases in the UK and universities are international environments. If you don’t go in this week you’re effectively saying you won’t want to go in for the rest of your pregnancy, as the UK cases are only going to increase. And then you won’t want to go in with a newborn. So are you worried enough to drop out of university? I don’t think you should be.

This won't help you relax, but here is available info

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/pregnancy-faq.html

www.sogc.org/en/content/featured-news/sogc-statement-coronavirus.aspx

It looks like you should indeed be careful, but the risk of you catching coronavirus at this time is lower than any other illness like flu or norovirus in the UK.

Keep washing your hands frequently and avoid touching your face or food if you haven't washed them. Avoid being too close to people.
But that should just be normal precautions anyway.

Thanks everyone for the advice (and links), I know I may be over-reacting due to being pregnant. I'm going to contact my uni welfare service and ask for some advice.
One of the students self isolating is on my course, so I just panicked a little.
I also have an auto-immune disease and so it made me a little uneasy.
Hopefully by Monday I'll feel more reassured.