Update as of 3:55 pm PST, March 13, 2020
President of BCIT, Kathy Kinloch, gave a recent update to students and faculty on the actions BCIT is taking in response to the COVID-19 virus. She noted cleaning has been increased and a plan is in place, should the situation escalate to cancelling in-person classes.
At this time, Kinloch and others are putting precautionary measures in place, and following direction from the federal government and BC Health Minister, Dr. Bonnie Henry. This goes for what would happen in the event of a shut-down as well as the current international travel ban.
Executive Director of Stakeholder Relations, Cynthia Petrie, says they are “making sure that we are going over all high touch point surfaces, and increasing the number of cleaners.”
When asked about accommodations for students who need to self-quarantine due to travel concerns, Petrie says “things are changing very quickly. We are currently in discussion on how to best support our students. We’re trying to work with [the students] on a case-by-case basis at this point while we prepare our plans.”
Petrie adds, “each program is very different from the other, which creates a bit of a challenge… we’re looking across our programs [and] working with our deans to see how we would deliver programs online or through other mechanisms. There’s a lot of things at play, [so] we’re looking at all those options.”
At this time, events on campus hosted by the Student Association under 250 people are still running. “Should anything change over the coming weeks, we will act quickly and appropriately to protect students, staff and employers. If an event you have committed to has been cancelled, you will receive a cancellation email notifying you of such,” says BCITSA Director of Marketing & Communications, Geoff Gauthier.
As of right now, all the publicly-funded schools in Burnaby, as well as the BCIT daycare, are still open.
“We have been advised that there are no plans to close schools. Decisions about school closures will be made by public health officials,” said Burnaby school district superintendent Gina Niccoli-Moen in a statement.
Keep Yourself Updated
But you can also keep an eye out for immediate updates, including those specific to your program, on the BCIT Breaking News page and on the Safetywise App.
For immediate updates, check here:
BC Centre for Disease Control;
Or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.
