Universities in Belgium have triggered a 'code red' alert, the highest level on their coronavirus crisis management scale, forcing a return to remote learning just weeks after students returned to campus for the first time since March. 

The heightened alert level, which is one step away from a full lockdown, requires all lectures to be given online.  

"We believe that we had to take up our responsibility and move over to code red," said Jan Danckaert, the vice-rector of education and student affairs at the Free University of Brussels (VUB).  

 

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Many schools, including VUB and the University of Liege, have made an exception for practical and laboratory work, for which on-site presence is indispensable. First-year students have also received a hall pass for small group lessons.  

"The first years left high school in special circumstances. Now they have entered university in special circumstances," said Danckaert. "We want to still have them on campus in small groups to guide them through this first year." 

But how much longer students will remain on campus is unclear as the number of coronavirus infections spirals across Belgium. The average number of people testing positive a day is now four times higher than at the peak of the first wave. 

Cities like Brussels, Ghent and Liege, which are home to Belgium's largest universities, have been among the hardest hit. In Liege, one in three tests are coming back positive.  

"I am really concerned about it because personally, I don't like to study at home," said first-year pharmaceutical student Sarah Elfellaouy. "It's really difficult because I get distracted, but here on campus you're more focused, so I hope it will remain open."  

Her friend Deborah Amisi, who is a biomedical student, had concerns about teacher accessibility.  

"I like to ask a lot of questions," said the 18-year-old, "but with online classes, you don't have that much access to the teachers so it's quite difficult. You can send them an email but they reply maybe three days after – but on campus, they just answer the question directly." 

The 17,000 students at the Free University of Brussels only returned to the classroom last month, after a nationwide lockdown pushed learning online in March. This time around, the school says it is better prepared. It invested millions of dollars in new equipment to better facilitate online classes and hired more support staff for teachers who are navigating a new world of blended learning.