The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. We have seen from the scale and pace of infection in Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and, of course, China and its neighbors, that this epidemic can have significant public health ramifications in the absence of sufficient containment measures.

COVID-19 has been found to have a median incubation period of approximately 5 days. It has also been documented that the duration between successive reported cases of the virus is shorter than this incubation period, indicating that pre-symptomatic transmission is a significant factor in the rapid spread of the virus. As such, post-symptomatic quarantine is an insufficient measure for preventing new infection, and sites particularly vulnerable to virus transmission, such as college campuses, must be closed before symptoms begin to present among the local population.

Numerous colleges in the Northeast, including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and all New York City universities, have already suspended classes or transitioned to online classes in response to the outbreak. In Pennsylvania specifically, Bucknell and West Chester University have transitioned to online classes for the remainder of the semester, and Rowan University has extended Spring Break for another week as contingency plans for online course continuation are developed. Additionally, several school districts in Delaware and Montgomery counties have closed.

Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Philadelphia, Wayne, Delaware, and Monroe counties, and Montgomery County alone has confirmed 8 cases. It is clear that this virus is spreading locally, and the Villanova student body is calling upon the University to prioritize our welfare and cancel class meetings before it is too late. While the University has informed students and faculty that a contingency plan is being developed, it has taken no action to prevent the spread of the virus on campus in the interim.

Of particular concern is the fact that Villanova has allowed students returning from the canceled study abroad program in Italy to resume residence on campus, which poses a substantial risk to the rest of the student body. What could have possibly compelled the University to make this decision is a point of great confusion, but it is clear that student and faculty welfare was not the paramount consideration.

We, the Villanova student body, petition the University to suspend classes for as long as it takes to contain this epidemic, or at least determine that infection no longer poses a significant risk to the Villanova community.