COVID-19 precautions close Vancouver business school for 3-day disinfection

A presumptive case of COVID-19 has prompted the closure of a business school in downtown Vancouver for at least three days while the building is disinfected, the school said Thursday. 

A media release posted on the University Canada West (UCW) website says "proactive, precautionary" measures were taken after the school was informed that a student had a presumptive case of the disease caused by a novel coronavirus that continues to spread globally.

That student and their roommate are now in isolation, according to the release from UCW, which is popular with international students.

A sign on the door of the London Building on West Pender Street says it's restricted for sanitization. Other post secondary schools housed in the building — including CDI College and Visual College of Art and Design — are also informing their students and remain closed.

A provincial health spokesperson would not immediately clarify whether this is a new presumptive case of COVID-19 in B.C. or one of the existing tally — which was 13 as of Thursday morning — but said that Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry would be speaking to this at a news conference later today.

UCW vice-president Cyndi Banks is also expected to speak in Vancouver at 2 p.m.

The UCW release said the student had recently been visited by their father who tested positive for the coronavirus upon visiting from overseas.

It did not give any further details about the student.

Any students and staff who may have been in close contact with the affected students have been identified and contacted with information and advice, UCW said.

'Deep clean' of all office areas underway

The UCW statement says that the risk to students and staff is low thanks to "immediate actions" taken.

"The university is suspending all on-campus classes until a full disinfection of all campuses has taken place, which includes a deep clean of all public and back-office areas," according to the statement.

Some students received an email from UCW president Brock Dykeman on Wednesday night about the three-day closure.

The notice said that classes would continue online while the campus was disinfected over the next three days. Classes are expected to resume by Monday.

Several students told CBC they wished the campus would remain closed even longer.

"Of course, we feel really nervous and [it's] stressful. We don't know who this student is and whether we studied [him or her] or not," said Jay Zhu, who is finishing his MBA at UCW.

He and others said they wished the shutdown was extended for two weeks, to cover the incubation period, in case the student infected instructors or other classmates.

Another student who identified herself as Serena was surprised to find the doors locked, but understood the situation once she learned the reason why.

"I have concerns now. Everybody uses the elevators and touches the buttons," she said.