The students at Oxford University coughed in the face of staff members who called them out for ignoring social distancing guidelines in the school. This behavior has caused a major riff and now staff members are said to start wearing bodycams to expose the students.
Coughing at staff
A dean at St. Catherine's Collège rebuked the students for their disregard of the social distancing rules, according to The Times. The staff will now wear body cameras after the shocking incident, which the dean reported with "great sadness and disappointment."
Students at Oxford University were said to have coughed in the face of the staff members at St. Catherine's College. When challenged for flouting the social distancing guidelines, the students refused to give their names.
In retaliation, some of them coughed in the direction of the junior deans and porters. The dean said that the incident took place in the early hours of October 5, when three junior deans and one porter tried to disperse large groups, according to The DailyMail.
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The students had gathered in the junior common room, a marquee, and in a number of staircases. According to the statement released by the dean, some of the students refused to give their names and agreed to disperse only when presented with the prospect of police involvement.
Due to the shocking incident, staff will now wear body cameras. The dean was saddened and disappointed over the behavior of the students, as some reprehensible individuals chose to express their displeasure of being called out by coughing in the direction of the junior deans.
The dean closed the statement by saying that from now on, the junior deans and porters will be equipped with body cameras, and they will be supported by university security staff. They will also call the police if they ever feel threatened or see potentially criminal activity.
Any student who will breach the college rules will face suspension or a permanent mark on their academic record.
Woman died of COVID-19 after being spat on
Coughing, sneezing, or spitting on people deliberately is considered a criminal offense due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
In May 2020, Belly Mujinga, a 47-year-old woman who worked at Victoria station in London and had underlying respiratory problems, was assaulted along with a female colleague, according to BBC.
A man deliberately coughed at them, and within days of the incident, both women fell ill with the virus. British Transport Police launched an inquiry to trace the man who spat at the pair.
The incident happened on March 22, and the suspect approached her while she was working. Her husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, said that the man had asked his wife what she was doing and why she was there. She said she was working, and the man revealed he had the virus and spat on her.
On April 2, Mujinga was admitted to Barnet Hospital, and she was put on a ventilator. But she died three days later, according to the Transport Salaried Staffs Association or TSSA. Since the despicable act, the Government has deemed deliberately sneezing, spitting, and coughing on a person as a criminal offense.
