Hello,

My name is Shenglin Cheng. I am a master student from the Jewellery department.

I just saw the latest news that Belgium now already has 109 Corona patients(up to March 6th). Many students in our school are really worried about the situation. As a Chinese student I don’t want to see the same tragedy happening in Belgium as the one that the Chinese just suffered from.

The highest risk feature of the Corona Virus is its strong transmission ability. The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Even if you don’t have any symptoms you may carry it or spread it to others.

So we have decided to write this petition, asking the school to take following measures which could help to stop the spread of the virus.

• We hope that OPEN DAY could be cancelled

Big events will increase cross-infection.
I know lots of people have worked a lot on the exhibition, but health is more important to everyone, especially as we have so many aged staffs and teachers in school who are under higher risk. We won’t know about every guest coming from outside the school. If someone carries the virus, the whole school will be out of control.

• An email to all students

As we know, there are lots of students who have just come back from Italy and France. Those students have close contact with others in school without taking any precautions. Even when some of them already feel sick they still come to school as usual. So we hope the school could send an Email to all students, reminding them to take protective measures such as keeping distance to others when they have travelled recently, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Of course, it would be better if they could stay at home for 14 days.

• Statistics

As I mentioned above, many students travelled to other countries during the holiday. I think the school has the responsibility to know and to grasp the situation concerning the school. If it’s possible, please record the students who travelled recently (through email or website) with their basic information, travel information, health information. This information will definitely help the school to make plans for the following days.Statistics

• Enhance disinfection and cleaning

The Coronavirus may be adsorbed on the surface of objects. The surfaces that people touch a lot, such as door handles, keyboards and tables should be cleaned frequently.

I know that a lot of Europeans think that the Chinese are over reacting, however, compared to the protection measures taken in China, these suggestions are very basic. On the other hand, the best measure against public panic is providing open and transparent information.

And if you agree with us please sign for the petition. We hope all students and members of staff can stay healthy and that the virus can be controlled as soon as possible.

Looking forward to your reply,
Kind regards

Shenglin Cheng