College of West Anglia campuses to close while museums and libraries also affected

Face-to-face teaching, museums and mobile libraries are among the latest things to be hit by the coronavirus.

Norfolk’s council-run museums will close and mobile libraries will stop running from tomorrow (Thursday, March 19) as part of an ongoing response to the coronavirus.

With the government advising people to avoid group contact, the county council has decided to shut the museums, suspend the home library service and cancel mobile libraries, until further notice.

However, it is keeping library buildings open at the moment, in recognition that they are vital community hubs.

Meanwhile, the College of West Anglia will stop face-to-face teaching at its campuses from the end of today (Wednesday, March 18).

From tomorrow, all campuses will be closed to students, except for some scheduled exams next week.

However, the teaching staff are making preparations to move to an online learning model from Monday, March 23.

Course directors will contact students by Monday with further details and how to access online learning materials.

A statement to students said: "We understand that this is a big and sudden change to your learning and we understand you may have some queries and concerns.

"Please use your course director and teaching staff as the primary point of contact for all your course-related queries."

Norfolk County Council leader Andrew Proctor said: “We are taking positive action with partners to critical services like social care running, while taking heed of government advice regarding larger venues like museums.

“We have business continuity plans in place and are reviewing the situation every day and making decisions accordingly.”

The museums service is planning to launch a new digital offer to bring directly into people’s homes.