As the outbreak of CODIV-19 in the nation intensifies on a daily basis, we, the undersigned, urge you to close public schools immediately as a proactive measure to slow down the spread of this deadly coronavirus.

It is a known fact that the spread of this highly contagious virus follows the pattern of an exponential curve. That means taking proactive actions to lower the number of early infections will help flatten that exponential curve. The earlier we take these actions, the more effective they will be in minimizing the potential human and economic damages.

To quote Professor Nicholas Christakis of Yale University, a renowned sociologist and physician, “Proactive school closures – closing schools before there’s a case there – have been shown to be one of the most powerful nonpharmaceutical interventions that we can deploy.” Case in point, Taiwan delayed the opening of all schools in early February and took other public health actions shortly after the outbreak in Wuhan. The result of these early actions has been nothing short of miraculous. Despite its close proximity to and social connection with mainland China, Taiwan has, as of March 10, fewer than 50 COVID-19 cases. In fact, the situation has been so well controlled that all schools below the university level reopened on Feb 25th.

School closure will inevitably cause disruptions to the lives of many families. However, we should measure those disruptions against the potentially massive human costs of a deadly epidemic. We hereby ask you to take decisive action now to close our schools and provide assistance to children and families that will be severely affected by school closure.