It’s not here yet.

And Simcoe County’s Chinese community is doing everything possible to keep novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, far, far away. The Simcoe County Chinese Association, which represents the interests of many of the area’s more than 2,000 residents of Chinese descent, is asking anyone who may have either visited China or had contact with someone who did travel to the country recently to voluntarily isolate themselves for two weeks, even if they’ve been deemed healthy and symptom-free by the Canadian government.

So far, about 10 Barrie residents have bit on the association’s request to self-quarantine.

Why take this radical step? There are a few small perks to ease the inconvenience.

A team of about 250 volunteers will run basic errands, such as grocery shopping, for those in isolation. They’ll also pick up residents from the airport in vehicles adapted to handle quarantine, association president David Zhao said.

More than 75,000 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed worldwide — all but about 1,000 were recorded in China. The federal government says eight were confirmed in Canada (three in Ontario and five in British Columbia) as of mid-February.

Several media outlets put the fatality rate for the virus at between 2 and 2.5 per cent.

Once the association learned of the first confirmed case in Toronto, it cancelled an early-February Chinese New Year celebration at a Barrie secondary school. Newsletters and updates to members are being distributed every few days. That correspondence often includes tips for handwashing and other ways to minimize the risk of spreading a virus.

“We really appreciate that Canada opened the door and accepted us,” Zhao said. “The Chinese community is always grateful to Canada for that reason. Most of us are immigrants. We love this place. We need to take special responsibility to protect the people here.”

Ellen Xiong is leading the association’s volunteer team. She’s putting in several hours a day, often working until late at night.