CLOSE to 2,000 Republic Polytechnic (RP) students have signed on a petition urging the institute to suspend classes for second and third-year students until at least July 1.

In the petition, entitled 'Against RP's measure in handling H1N1 petition', the students contend that classes should not just be suspended for the first-year students as ' the infected students could have been to anywhere in the school before they were found to be infected'.

Said a year two RP student who had earlier added her signature to the online petition: 'I signed on it a while ago. But things are still going on as normal in the school and I am starting to get used to it.'

The number of confirmed H1N1 cases in Singapore crossed 700 on Tuesday, with 72 new cases reported.

Investigations are underway as to how the new infections came about.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) assured Singaporeans that most of the cases are mild. To date, 281 patients have fully recovered and the rest are recuperating.

MOH added that members of the public should carry on with their usual activities while observing good personal hygiene and social responsibility at all times.