The global pandemic COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) continues to spread rapidly around the world, including North America.
 
Washington State, mere minutes from UFV’s main campus, is the center of the U.S. outbreak. 642 cases have been reported there, as well as 40 deaths.
 
UBC, SFU, UNBC, UVIC, and TWU are all transitioning to online learning. UFV remains open!
 
UFV has stated that there are no cases of COVID-19 on campus, but this virus can go undetected for days or even weeks. University students tend to have a stronger immune system because of their age, and so their symptoms may not be as obvious or severe.
 
UFV students could be spreading the virus unwittingly to high-risk individuals such as grandparents and relatives, and those with underlying health conditions like cancer, heart disease, or respiratory issues.
 
At the time of writing, Canada has 252 cases of COVID-19. By comparison, it took Italy only 2 days to double from 221 to 455 cases. 17 days later, that country is under complete lockdown, 21,000 people have tested positive for the virus and 1,441 people have died from it.
 
UFV’s mission statement is “Engaging learners, transforming lives, and building community”.
 
If UFV is not prepared to take action soon, learners will not be engaged because they will be worrying more about their health than their education. Lives might be transformed for all the wrong reasons, and the very community that UFV seeks to build up might be broken down.
 
This petition urges the University of the Fraser Valley to transition all face-to-face classes to online education.