To: Monash University
 
We, the undersigned students of nursing at Monash University, are highly concerned by the current plans to return to 100% on-campus delivery of our course.  The plan to return to campus was made before the Omicron variant was detected internationally, or in our community.  We believe that continuing with this plan despite the new situation would pose unnecessary risks to our patients, ourselves, and disruption to our studies from illness.

We understand that Monash is currently following Victorian government guidance requirements in its COVID Safe Plan.  We do not believe that these minimum requirements are sufficient to provide a safe learning environment, or one that is appropriate for us while we complete hospital placements with vulnerable populations.

We do not plan to attend campus for in-person learning that we consider unnecessary, and which has been proven through the last year of online learning to be unnecessary.  While we look forward to joining the ranks of the nursing workforce that is in such urgent need of replenishment at the moment, we do not consider it reasonable that we are asked to expose ourselves to unnecessary risks in the classroom to get there.

We would like for:
1. Lectures and workshops to continue in online mode.  This would allow us to limit our contacts to those that are clinically necessary: for labs and placement.
2. For surgical masks provided in lab classes to be replaced with N95 masks.  We are required to replace our home-worn masks with fresh ones when we enter Monash nursing labs, so we'd like to make sure we have ones that protect against aerosol transmission of the virus.

These are some of the reasons why we would like to see these changes:
-   Current government guidelines will not treat us as close contacts if we sit immediately next to a student who is COVID-19 positive for several hours.  Because of this we will not be eligible to be tested unless we are symptomatic, and we may pass it on to others including vulnerable patients.
-   Some nursing students’ timetables rotate between one week of hospital placement and one week of class throughout the semester, adding additional possibilities for transmission to vulnerable populations.
-   Lack of density limits in classrooms, making it impossible to socially distance
-   Lack of mask mandate while teaching, increasing the quantity of aerosols
-   Surgical and cloth masks, while more available and affordable for students to purchase, are known to be ineffective against aerosol transmission.
-   The requirement for 2 doses of vaccination to attend campus is insufficient for Omicron. The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (2021) indicates that 2 doses of AstraZeneca do nothing to prevent transmission of Omicron, while 2 doses of Pfizer provide only 10% prevention of transmission after 20 weeks.  This data also says that even with a booster shot prevention wanes to 40-50% after 10 weeks.  Further, health authorities have reported superspreading events amongst the vaccinated, like that at The Argyle in Newcastle.

It therefore seems that additional measures are required, including limiting contacts.  We believe that an easy way of doing this is to move our lectures and workshops back online and to provide appropriate masks when we are required on campus.
 

Reference
UK Health Security Agency. (2021, December 31). SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England [Technical briefing: Update on hospitalisation and vaccine effectiveness for Omicron VOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)]. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044481/Technical-Briefing-31-Dec-2021-Omicron_severity_update.pdf 

Signed:
Catherine Rose, 32332602, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Vishmi Mahi, 32353782, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Gabriella Shaw, 24203602, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Kaweesha Kulatunge, 32330405, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Christy Monica, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Juliana Montoya, 31387608, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Natasha Morey, 26856859, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Anitaben Prajapati, 31871739, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Ho Wing Sze Ricky, 32232330, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Amir Adhikari, 30066174, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Jarvan (Xi) Zhang, 26594927, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Misha Patel, 32262590, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Ngu Pwint Phyu, 29478936, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Milan Peter, 32362102, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Sabina Paudel, 32199198, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Purnima Bhardwaj, 31192882, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Alicia Lim, 27578860, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Sean Liu, 28706803, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Ellissa Garrod, 26908018, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Jasmeet Virk, 32277148, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Kate Dobson, 28789911, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Divya Voorugonda, 32459165, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Simrandeep Kaur, 32624972, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Shishi Zhou, 31305431, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Deng Yuan, 31037356, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Yiyun Fan, 30831210, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Suhirtha Visvanathan, 32267711, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Gurjant Singh, 31123570, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Ngoc Xuan Nhi Tran, 31993338, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Chengshenghan Su, 32669275, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Neha, 32233973, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Dimple Grace Thomas, 32456999, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Benjamin Smith, 32307896, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Navneet Kaur, 30128021, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Bing Wu, 25665049, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Varinder Singh, 32122713, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Akoun Kak, 32437455, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Wei Ge, 31854745, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Pavit Kaur Sokhi, 32127359, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Yue Gao, 32133383, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Komalpreet Kaur Ahluwalia, 31930670, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Renu Bala, 32026412, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Najeeba Karimi, 28579917, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Ellie McCloud, 32241852, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Steph Troxell, 31539408, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Yanzhi Wu, 29992133, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 2
Pip Mane, 31377424, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 2
Amelia Carroll, 32436580, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 2
Keqin Tang, 31114466, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 2
Chau Nguyen, 29686067, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 2
Christina Guiness, 32453477, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 2
Moira Ysabel Endaya, 27836177, Master of Nursing Practice, Semester 1
Yuhong Li, 29266041, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 3
Xi Wu, 31163475, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 3
Jingbo Hu, 26175282, Master of Nursing Practice Sem 3
Alice Talbot, 309031, Bachelor of Nursing Year 2
Sweta Tharmaseelan , 32470819, Bachelor of Nursing, Year 2
Kayley Price, 31469205, Bachelor of Nursing, Year 3
Stephanie, 41264, Bachelor of Nursing, Year 3
Abigail Padua, 30640873, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 3
Neve Robinson, 30635764, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Claudia Balfour, 29686857, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Georgia Elkins, 30635578, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Vanessa Pei Ling Kwong, 30204585, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Chloe Simone Vanderschoot, 30577500, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Madeleine Branthwaite, 29661803, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Year 4
Roxanna Anagnostou, 28749529, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4
Yiyuan Wang, 29978483, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4
Bairu Liu, 30509742, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4
Sharna, 29747074, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4
Nilab Osmani, 24173614, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4
Wendy Magno Aquino, 30169216, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery, Year 4

Xinyi Shen, 32364024, Bachelor of Communication and Media，Year 1
Sijie Dae, 31112552, Master of Business
Zhiqi Liu, 32786263, Bachelor of Design, Semester 1
Yongting Chen, 32275668, Master of Business, Semester 2
Mei Li, 32241283, Bachelor of Marketing
Yuxuan Gu, 32667736, Bachelor of Business Administration, Year 2
Carousel Jiang Wenhui, 32290543, Master of Interpreting and Translation, Semester 1
PeiLin Wang, 30992915, Master of Professional Accounting
Zhihua Su, 30748771, Bachelor of Commerce
Jue Yang, 31079660, Bachelor of Information Technology, Year 2
Fangyu Gu, 31233694, Bachelor of Arts, Year 2
Xinyuan Chen, 32712243, Bachelor of Commerce
Y Yan, 32347634, Master of Professional Accounting, Semester 1
Shumin Ma, 32384548, Master of Business, Semester 1
Jing Qu, 28299647, Bachelor of Banking and Finance，Year 3
Yingxue Chen, 29289599, Bachelor of Marketing Semester 1
Wanqian Liu, 31043615, Bachelor of Education and Arts
Sen Yang, 30101042, Master of Banking and Finance
Zhang Shenyuan, 31517536, Bachelor of Media Communication, Year 2
Shiqi Yan, 31985432, Master of Professional Accounting
Siyu Pan, 31128246, Bachelor of Media and Communication，Year 2
Zihao Tang, 31116647, Bachelor of Business, Year 3
Yilin Xu, 31318673, Bachelor of Media and Communication
Anqi Shi, 32141599, Bachelor of Media Communication
Feifan Tan, 32629540, Bachelor of Accounting
Xianghuan Ren, 32692897, Bachelor of Finance
Xin Cheng, 31244939, Master of Accounting
Yaoxin Xie, 32314892, Bachelor of Information Technology
Xiaoxiao Zhang, 30477921, Bachelor of Business
Xueqi Zhao, 31966802, Bachelor of Business
Xinyi Chen, 30828740, Master of Professional Accounting, Semester 3
Shengchao Huang, 30904803, Master of Business, Year 2
Yuxi Wang, 31964540, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 2
Zixin Hui, 30425530, Bachelor of Marketing and Arts
Yinuo Zhang, 31296157, Bachelor of Media and Communication
Chuxiu Wang, 30754852, Bachelor of Arts-Film and Screen Studies and Chinese Studies
Jingyu Ma, 31429904, Bachelor of Media and Communication, Year 2
Jiaqi Jin, 31307906, Bachelor of Criminology, Year 2
Li Keqin, 31286313, Bachelor of Arts, Year 2
Zhigang Huang, 32010230, Finance, Year 2
ShuangXin Li, 29948754, Bachelor of Media and Communication
Yutong Chen, 32194501, Master of Banking and Finance
KunPeng Yang, 30772524, Bachelor of Media and Communication
Zirun Liu, 31218172, Bachelor of Media and Communication, Year 1
Zhonghang Zhang, 32305842, Bachelor of Engineering, Year 1
Zongwei Bao, 30151147, Master of International Relations, Semester 1
Peiwen Jiang, 32450540, Bachelor of Arts
Xinyi Zhuang, 31304591, Master of Accounting
Zongwei Bao, 30151147, Master of International Relations, Semester 1
Xinyi Zhuang, 31304591, Master of Accounting, Semester 3
Wenjing Zhang, 31383202, Bachelor of Media Communication, Year 3
Mingyan Yu, 32367805, Master of Professional Accounting, Semester 2
Xiaoxiao Zhang, 30477921, Bachelor of Business, Year 2
Gong Jiaxin, 32693028, Bachelor of Commerce
Ziying Tang, 32316372, Master of Business
Yutong Zhang, 31122388, Bachelor of Media and Communication, Year 2
Yuanji Jin, 31942075, Bachelor of Commerce and Computer Science, Year 2
Wanqi Li, 32037678, Bachelor of Accounting, Year 3
Lu Zhang, 31112331, Master of Communications and Media Studies, Semester 3
Jiaxin Gong, 32693028, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 2
Chenyue Wang, 32315805, Bachelor of Commerce
Yueru Gu, 32313373, Bachelor of Commerce
Jiaxuan Shi Antique, 32438133, Bachelor of Media
Camelo Li Donghan, 32424418, Bachelor of Social Science
Ya Feng, 32313365, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 2
Zijun Wang, 29524431, Bachelor of Accounting, Year 2
Jitong Du, 31967086, Bachelor of Arts, Year 2
Qimin Zhang, 31314112, Bachelor of Media Communication, Year 2
Jiayi Luo, 32043198, Bachelor of Media Communication
Jingran Cui, 29411483, Bachelor of Media Communication, Year 3
Shuning Chen, 32445628, Pharmaceutical Science
Connor Knight, 30578817, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law, Year 4
JinCheng Duan, 30832004, Bachelor of Business, Year4
Xi Wang, 30805015, Bachelor of Finance, Year 2
Xinhang Xu, 30866995, Master of Banking and Finance, Year 2
Qiwei Zhao, 30868394, Bachelor of Accounting, Year 2
Kailong Zheng, 30848458, Master of Banking and Finance, Semester 3
Wenxing Du, 30171857, Bachelor of Engineering, Year 3
Manting Zhang, 29947529, Bachelor of Marketing, Year 2
Yue Zhang, 30919649, Master of Education
Yang Qi, 30489822, Bachelor of Business, Banking and Finance
Yandi Li,  32500017, Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science, Year 2
Zhuomin Wan, 32329881, Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science, Year 2
Kexin Hong, 29326044, Bachelor of Media Communication
Ziheng Meng, 31300316, Bachelor of Business, Year 2
Honglin Li, 31240097, Master of Business, Year 2
Sizhe Yang, 30772079, Bachelor of International Business, Year 1
XiaomengShen, 31426859, Leadership of Education
Yilong Huang, 31074790, Master of Education, Semester 1
Haijian Liu, 31423841, Bachelor of Computer Science, Year 2
Yu Zhang, 30482615, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 3
Lijiawen Liu, 31396763, Master of Education, Semester 1
Yilong Huang, 31074790, Master of Education, Semester1
Zehua Wang, 31544924, Bachelor of IT
Daotan Xiong, 31382223, Bachelor of Commerce
Zhou Shu, 32351321, Bachelor of Business, Year 2
Qiaoyan Liang, 31380719, Bachelor of Business, Year 3
Lifu Chen, 31390706, Bachelor of Banking and Finance
Yutian Sheng, 31964885, Bachelor of Banking and Finance
Qianfeng Zhang, 31518265, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 2
Xu Kong, 32456530, Bachelor of Arts
Yifei Liu, 31516149, Bachelor of Business, Year 2
Xinzhu Li, 31262295, Bachelor of Accounting, Year 3
Zhouyuan Zhao, 31282113, Bachelor of Arts
Xinzhu Li, 31262295, Bachelor of Accounting, Year 3
Yue Xu, 29640865, Bachelor of Commerce and Arts, Year 3
Yue Zhang, 31389260, Media Communication
Zhicheng Zhang, 29300940, Master of Banking Finance，Semester 2
Yining Xu, 32715005, Bachelor of Accounting
Peidi Yan, 32725469, Bachelor of Commerce, Year 2
Yuxi Wei, 31393179, Bachelor of Nutrition Science
Huili, 32669305, Master of Education, Semester 1
Yaxin Liao, 31358098, Bachelor of Media Communication, Year 2