The Region of Waterloo has come forward with a statement recommending large events and gatherings be postponed or cancelled, and all the local schools have suspended in-person instruction.
The Region of Waterloo’s Public Health explained that any events of 250 people or more and all international events should be postponed or canceled.
Public health stipulated that warning was unless those gatherings were workplace or post-secondary related.
Despite that,UW, Laurier and Conestoga College have suspended or cancelled all in-person instruction, with UW starting March 14.
On top of all the school closures around the province, many other large local events have been canceled.
What’s cancelled in KW:
- True North, the annual tech conference, taking place around Kitchener and Waterloo scheduled June 1-7 was cancelled due to concerns of the virus.
- POP UP Indigenous Art Market x theMUSEUM was scheduled for March 18 but has since been cancelled.
- Elmira’s Maple Syrup Fest which typically gathers an average of 1000-2000 attendees in a day.
- Home Hardware’s 2020 Spring Market has also been canceled in relation to COVID-19.
- The Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society, with their cancellation of their annual World Down Syndrome Day Celebration in Waterloo.
- The Mayors for Meals, part of meals on wheels, was scheduled for March 13, usually raises awareness and goods for food security. That’s now cancelled.
- Communitech Hub tours are all cancelled
- All Sofar Sound events
- The Kitchener Market will be open on Mar. 14 and then close indefinitely.
- The Stratford Festival has cancelled all performances from Apr. 11 to May 2
- The Perimeter Institute has cancelled its Apr. public lecture.
- All city-run recreation facilities are closed from March 16th to April 5th.
- RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex
- Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex
- Albert McCormick Community Centre
- Moses Spring Community Centre Adult Recreation Centre
- Wing 404
- Bechtel Park indoor facilities
- City of Waterloo Museum
- Waterloo Public Libraries
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Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is closed until further notice.
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All minor hockey teams have closed for the 2019-2020 season.
With St. Patricks Day fast approaching, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, Region of Waterloo Public Health’s Acting Medical Officer of Health, has once again asked students to not participate in the Ezra Avenue festivities.
“This uncontrolled party was already a significant risk to the health and safety of our residents. It is even more so now,” Wang said. “I am asking people not to put their own health or these essential resources at risk.”
The news comes after three new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Waterloo region in one day.
All classes and course activity is suspended until March 23, 2020 in order to give instructors a chance to develop an alternative way of delivering course material.
Imprint reached out to Matthew Grant, the director of media relations for the University of Waterloo, who explained the goals of what the university is enforcing.
“Our goal is to support student safety and help them gain the best academic outcomes,” Grant said. “We also want to make sure we are giving our instructional leaders the time to make changes during this extraordinary period.”
