DT1 is going to Leeds and has signed the Leeds petition. I'm particularly concerned that some universities, including Leeds, are already committing to online exams. Surely these are much later in the year and there's absolutely no need to be making a decision now?
On the other thread (the next year online one) I definitely got the impression that covid is being used as an excuse to a accelerate a move to online learning that was planned anyway, and it's that that really pisses me off. I'm sympathetic to concerns about large lectures and safely (depending on what happens, variants etc.) but sneaking in permanent cost-cutting measures by the back door isn't honest to students.
There might well be a discussion to be had about how effective lectures are, and teaching methods more generally, but that should be had openly, consulting with students, not hidden under the 'due to covid' label.
And if that's the direction things are moving in, universities really need to rethink some of their accommodation. So many rooms in modern blocks are absolutely tiny, and expecting students (especially humanities students, in practice) to sit in them staring at a screen for hours on end is just crap.