COVID-19 outbreak hit NYC. Despite authorities continue to claim that “our risk is low”, the actual cases of potential COVID-19 positive patients remains unknown since NYC, home of millions of long-term residents, has only tested no more than 15 people. If there is no testing done, the confirmed case won’t grow; unfortunately, this type of strategy seems to be what authorities are planning to take on.

As members of The New School community, we have every right to be alerted, to be informed and to take every precaution the school is capable of offering to protect ourselves. According to WHO, COVID-19 can transmit from person to person through droplets (coughing, sneezing, talking, etc.) and surfaces touched by confirmed patients or asymptomatic carriers, which basically meant that none of us would know if we have been exposed to the virus or not since people without symptoms can also pass on the virus. Thus, we encourage you to think rationally and do some calculations for yourself about how many people you randomly encounter on a daily basis, and whether you are certain that you won't ever become a victim of this global crisis.

Though statistics shows the COVID-19 only has a 2％ death rate and 80% of the general public would fully recover from it, we also want to point out: there is also 15% that a confirmed patient would develop serious conditions that could lead to immune system failures and death. In addition, COVID-19 is NOT A FLU despite it can spread like a flu. A flu patient CAN be treated and recover when giving anti-flu medicines; a COVID-19 patient has NO KNOWN CURE and can only rely on self immune system to fight off the virus.

As a highly inclusive community, we are responsible to protect each and every community member, which include the ones who are elderly, fragile, or the ones who suffers from chronic diseases, cancer, immune system diseases and other form of disabilities. The lives of these people should not be down-played and we shouldn't risk their lives since they have a higher chance catching COVID-19 and develop critical situationst that need to be hospitalized.

At this very moment of OUTBREAK happening in a such crowded City like NYC, we needs to perform quarantines as best as we can achieve, avoid unnecessary contacts, and start to practice remote learning through entire university system. 

Sign the petition and stand with all the lives that are potentially at risk. Let's make The New School a free zone of COVID-19 and protect our fellow students and colleagues by do the right thing before it's too late.