We want the UC Davis to be BOLD and shut down the university for a few days to ensure the safety and well-being of students, staff, and Davis community (including our very vulnerable senior community housed in Davis).

The availability of more data in the following days/weeks would help the university officials to design an effective strategy based on an accurate and reliable risk assessment. Until then, simply, no one’s life should be compromised. 

The Novel CoronaVirus (COVID-19) is now spreading in California and the U.S. at drastic rates. The first community spread case in the U.S. was reported to be under treatment in VacaValley and UC Davis hospitals in Vacaville and Sacramento last week.Given the proximity of the patient's location to Davis, considering the city and the campus as low-risk zones is a major underestimation of how pandemics grow exponentially.

According to the ABC7 news report, the first community spread case was indeed being treated since Feb. 16th at VacaValley hospital. This is especially noteworthy since one, unknowingly, might be transmitting the virus to others, for days,  without showing any symptoms themselves. Meaning the virus has been spreading in the community since at least Feb. 16th if not any earlier. 

Unfortunately as of today, 6 deaths in Washington State have been confirmed, while a total of 101 cases in the U.S. have been reported in the CNN report. UC Davis with 40000 students (constantly interacting with each other, professors, and staff in classes, labs, dorms, food courts, dining halls, gym, etc.) is a giant petri dish for further spread of the virus, contributing to the current national and global crisis. Consequently, we want the university to take appropriate and proportionate response by shutting down the university for a few days until further information is available. 

UC Davis Community