McMaster University should CANCEL all in-person classes NOW.

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Update: the school has cancelled all in-person classes. This petition has been a success. In reaching its goal, it has also advocated for safeguarding individual and community health by sharing important and actionable information during this difficult period and bringing awareness to the issue through this campaign, before local media.

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"Studies show that school closures are one of the most beneficial 'non-pharmaceutical interventions' (NPI) that can be employed, more effective even than reactive quarantines or banning of public gatherings."

Study examining impact of school closures and other NPI, and their precise timing, in the 1918 influenza pandemic, looking at 43 major USA cities

"The earlier that schools were closed (ideally even in advance of outbreaks) the lower the number of excess deaths in 43 US cities during the 1918 Influenza pandemic. The longer that school closings and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) were applied in each of 43 US cities during the 1918 influenza pandemic, the lower was the ultimate mortality rate." - Dr. Christakis (Yale Professor and Physician)

"Cities in which multiple interventions were implemented at an early phase of the epidemic had peak death rates ~50% lower than those that did not and had less-steep epidemic curves."

Here is a paper which shows that the virus can remain on surfaces for quite a while. Students could enter a lecture hall and become infected because one student had a lecture in the same room hours ago, or longer such as even the day prior.

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Information on what you can do to lower risk of infection, individually and in the community.

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Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - explaining the nature of the pandemic and the need to take action immediately.

"Countries that act fast can reduce the number of deaths by 10x."

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Our sports facilities need to be closed alongside the school and they should be encouraging and spreading information on ways of keeping up with exercise using bodyweight routines and things that can be done at home. Gym equipment is a huge possible vector for transmission in our school community.

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Testimony from Lombardia, Italia: "Please, please guys. Here in northern #Italy we made one big mistake. Everybody kept saying "It's just flu" and now our intensive care units are collapsing. Everybody kept going outside like nothing happened and now our grandparents and parents are dying. #coronavirus is not #flu" - Bianca

Italian ICU Physician's account

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McMaster University should CANCEL all in-person classes NOW.