Georgia State, KSU students urge officials to switch to online classes amid coronavirus fears

ATLANTA — Students at Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University are urging officials to switch to online classes to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

A petition on Change.org is asking GSU to join other universities and colleges around the country in moving to online classes has gained over 12,000 signatures since Monday night.

The petition argues that the campus is located next to a hospital and hosts numerous commuters from all over the state, making students at greater risk for exposure.

The petitions allows signers to share their reasons for supporting online classes. Some students wrote that they are scared of getting sick and that the school should be proactive and cancel before any cases of coronavirus are confirmed on campus.

The petition states:

Downtown campuses and other campuses of Georgia State University throughout Georgia pose a great risk of infection/transmission of the Coronavirus to both the students and the staff. Close the campuses and offer online classes for all classes until further notice to ensure the safety of all GSU members.

Getting infected with the virus puts families at risk. The downtown campus is located next to a hospital and surrounded by people. Keeping the school open is reckless and is bound to spread the virus unnecessarily. Classes can be offered online and should be for our safety. I do not want to get my family sick and neither do any other students.

The professors and students on campus are at great risk of exposure as GSU hosts numerous commuters from all over Georgia. It is time to be proactive and assume that the lack of testing does not mean a lack of cases. They are out there around us, and they are spreading the virus.

A second petition has been launched by students at Kennesaw State University. That petition has over 2,000 signatures.

Some students reached out to Channel 2 Action News, saying they don’t feel safe attending classes.

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