Close The Campus
You’re a student at Camosun College. Sure you could eat a few more vegetables and get a few more hours of sleep but over-all you're pretty healthy. You take public transportation to save money. The semester is coming to a close, you’re focused on passing courses and not running out of the last of your student loan money before you find a job. Maybe you aren’t paying that much attention to the unprecedented global pandemic circumnavigating the globe because campuses are still open, you can still take out books from the library and teachers are still offering office hours. How bad could it be?
It’s bad. Camosun College campuses need to close their doors immediately to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
As education facilities, there is a duty of post secondary schools to educate their students, provide accurate and current information, and show leadership within their communities. A public health emergency in BC was declared by the health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on March 17h, but as of now Camosun College doors remain open. The minister is pleading with BC employers to allow staff to work from home, she says the risk is changing rapidly and we need to break the chain of transmission. All BC public facilities including recreation centres, swimming pools and libraries have also been closed. Camosun College and it’s services are non essential in this time of crises. Keeping the campus open is doing more harm than good, it creates a potential excuse for community members to not take this virus seriously, and underestimate its effect on the larger population.
One major concern with keeping Camosun campuses open is the demographic that it serves. The average age of a Camosun student is 25 and this cohort of people is least likely to experience the true dangers of COVID-19. If infected, the likelihood is for mild to non existent symptoms, so mild that many people won’t feel the need to report or get tested. We could be carriers of the virus and not even know it. This means we could be spreading the virus unknowingly to vulnerable populations, populations of our community that are at much higher risk of hospitalization and death.
Most students travel by public transportation and these close proximity spaces spread the virus further. BC centre for disease control urges people to self distance at least 2 metres away while in public places including public transportation which isn’t achievable in such a small populous space.
It is hard to understand the gravity of the situation. Canada is vast and Vancouver Island is isolated. It can be challenging to prepare and respond urgently and effectively if the devastation is happening halfway around the world. Tragically in Italy, the death toll is approaching 3000 people. This is a very serious crisis and the Italian government is responding as such, making breaches in isolation illegal. On the more severe end of the sentencing, those who display symptoms and refuse to self-isolate, and who then end up needlessly passing on the virus to an elderly or vulnerable person who then dies, could be charged with “intentional murder” — punishable by a 21-year sentence.
It’s our duty to think about the bigger picture and make the choice to live with compassion for those who are most vulnerable. We need to step outside of the comfort of daily routine and take the actions needed to protect our communities, both local and global. #staythefuckhome
I agree that the campus should have been quicker in the decision to close the campus. Social distancing is one way that can help slow the spread of COVID-19. With so many shared spaces like classrooms, computer labs, the library and cafeteria, and all the people that someone cross paths with in a day at school there's so many chances for potential spreading of the virus. Not to mention many students take the bus (or many more than one bus) to get to and from school. Even if I feel like my age group is considered low risk if infected, who knows if I end up bringing the virus home with me? Definitely something I don't want to risk with two people at home who are considered vulnerable. #stayathome
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