The World Health Organization has defined Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic as of March 11th, and currently has 39 cases reported in BC, and has taken 1 victim. National Post article by Sharon Kirkey states that experts expect 35 to 70 percent of Canadians to contract the disease. BCIT, a smaller institution that has hundreds of students and staff interactions everyday, is a hot bed for the spread of the Coronavirus. For the safety of students and staff members, BCIT should suspend in-person instruction ASAP and shift to virtual instruction instead.

Italy has 10,149 cases of coronavirus, as of March 10th, up from only 3 cases on February 20th. British Columbia already have 39 cases, with most of them being in Vancouver. Given the Italy's trajectory, the risk of infection is very high in Vancouver, which has almost 30 cases and even 1 death. Many lectures at BCIT have over 20 students in a closed room, and a typical student may come into contact with hundreds of individuals in one day at BCIT. BCIT is a hotbed for infection, and students and staff are endangering the health of themselves and their loved ones attending school.

Furthermore, as of March 10th, numerous U.S. universities have suspended in-person instruction and introduced virtual instruction, including Ivy-League schools like Harvard. Many of the universities that suspended in-person instruction are located in regions with less cases of COVID-19 than Vancouver, and chose to prioritize the safety of students and staff members. New York State has created a containment zone as of March 10th too. Isolation is the best preventative method against COVID-19, and BCIT should help the effort to contain the spread of the disease by shifting to virtual instruction.

This is not just about us. It is about our families, the elderly and the immunocompromised. From a personal note, I live with my sister who has an extremely weak immune system and is basically prone to any virus or disease. Just because a student seems to be "young and healthy" on the outside, it does not mean that they are healthy - help us be educated in a safe environment.