Is Covid more deadly than fire?
Self-isolating students at York have been told to wait behind in the event of a fire to let others evacuate first.

Want to read spiked ad-free? Become a spiked supporter.
Covid hysteria is reaching worrying new heights.
According to the BBC, the University of York has advised self-isolating students that, in the event of a fire, they should wait behind in their rooms to let others evacuate first.
Covid: York self-isolating students told 'wait behind in fire' https://t.co/zIMZXU0wXh
— BBC Radio York (@BBCYork) October 15, 2020
Self-isolating students were sent an email, telling them to ‘stay in your room for one minute’ if fire alarms go off, allowing those who are not self-isolating to exit the building. Following this, it went on, self-isolating students should head for ‘the nearest refuge’, where they could contact university security who would advise whether or not they need to leave the building.
Amazingly, the email told students these measures were in place ‘to ensure your safety’. The university says it has now updated its guidance, though it remains unclear if its previous advice to self-isolating students still stands. Regardless, it is remarkable that an email like this was sent out in the first place.
These students were essentially told to risk their lives so as not to risk infecting others with Covid. While Covid poses a tiny risk to young people, making them wait for a minute in their rooms, or await instructions in a refuge, in the middle of an actual fire could be the difference between life and death.
It seems being ‘Covid secure’ trumps everything else these days, including fire safety. And it’s not just York that has done something like this. Manhattan College in the US has distributed similarly mind-boggling advice telling students to maintain social distancing when evacuating.
The bureaucrats who drafted these guidelines seem to think that coronavirus is more deadly than fire. This is where Covid hysteria leads us.
Picture by: Alexander P Kapp, published under a creative-commons license.
Help us hit our 1% target
spiked is funded by you. It’s your generosity that keeps us going and growing.
Only 0.1% of our regular readers currently donate to spiked. If you are one of the 99.9% who appreciates what we do, but hasn’t given just yet, please consider making a donation today.
If just 1% of our loyal readers donated regularly, it would be transformative for us, allowing us to vastly expand our team and coverage.
Plus, if you donate £5 a month or £50 a year, you can join and enjoy:
–Ad-free reading
–Exclusive bonus content
–Regular events
–Access to our comments section
The most impactful way to support spiked’s journalism is by registering as a supporter and making a monthly contribution. Thank you.
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Only spiked supporters and patrons, who donate regularly to us, can comment on our articles.