This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Western chapter.

On March 12, Western decided to cancel all events over 50 people, and move classes online until the end of the semester.

The reason? To reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) taking root on campus. It is an aggressive and radical approach that mirrors the sense of panic sweeping the globe. Earlier this month for example, San Francisco declared a state of emergency, despite having only two coronavirus cases.

Some people have dismissed coronavirus as being “just like the flu.” Others are treating it like the next Black Plague. Perhaps the best comparison we have is to the SARS epidemic of 2003. COVID-19 and SARS come from the same viral family, but they do have some differences: the new coronavirus currently has a lower mortality rate than SARS, but the number of cases within the first eight weeks has drastically surpassed SARS’ total number of cases from the full eight month outbreak. In fact, the total number of COVID-19 deaths is rapidly approaching the total number of SARS cases; and it doesn’t seem like things are going to improve any time soon.

Here’s what we know:

The majority of infections are mild (flu-like) with 4.7% being labelled as critical infections
3.7% of those infected have died; those who have died are primarily those labeled to be high risk (i.e. the elderly and those with chronic health issues)
The media coverage is enormous. COVID-19 has 99 times more media hits than Ebola had at the time of the Ebola crisis. Perhaps because coronavirus has spread to so many countries,, we, as members of wealthier nations, have no choice but to care now that the virus can actually affect us.

But back to Western: it is true that the risk in London is relatively low. At the time of writing, there is one coronavirus case currently active in London, and twelve people awaiting test results. The only previous case was resolved back in February. If this is all the coronavirus has for London right now, could it be said that a campus shutdown is going too far?

No.

This is the shutdown of a university campus. And even in regards to that statement, what is happening isn’t a full shutdown. According to the statement from Western’s president, classes are continuing online. Residences may be suggesting that people move home, but they aren’t forcing out students who have no place to go. Food services are still running for students with meal plans who remain on campus. Essential services like health services are still active for those who need them.

And it’s not just Western. In the days since the university’s shutdown was announced, both the city of London and the province of Ontario have followed suit, shutting down numerous facilities, excepting essential services.

Shutdowns like these are more than a pointless pain in the ass.They obviously aren’t guaranteed to stop COVID-19 from entering the area of a shutdown, but that’s not their purpose. Shutdowns are designed to slow the spread of infection, and to ultimately protect those who are the most vulnerable from the virus. If you think that shutdowns and social distancing won’t make that much of a difference, feel free to check this terrifying graph while you’re whining about missing nights out at Ceeps.

The fact is, if one unchecked coronavirus case gets into a residence or enters an enclosed, crowded lecture hall, the illness will spread like wildfire through the student body. This may be merely an inconvenience for most able-bodied students, but it could become an issue of life or death for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses like diabetes.

The majority of my friends are taking the shutdown as a positive action. However, my Facebook feed is disappointingly full of people whining that they see no reason to cancel lectures, and that they refuse to not graduate on time because of the coronavirus. My response? Suck it up. Just because you are young, healthy and at low risk does not mean everybody else is. Sure, if large gatherings remain cancelled for a longer period of time you might not graduate on time. But if those gatherings are run, some of us might not get to graduate at all. You need to stop thinking, “I’ll survive being sick,” and instead consider, “Do I want to be a part of a chain that will lead to another’s death?”

We need to take the necessary precautions before they are necessary. At best, we look like we overreacted. At worst, we have an epidemic and are consumed with a haunting regret.

Here’s the simple fact: though the number of cases in the country have been steadily increasing, we’re currently at a critical point. If we do not take action rapidly, we could have a spike in cases similar to what is being seen in the United States—and let’s face it, we do not want to compare ourselves to a nation being led by Donald Trump.

We don’t know what future the coronavirus holds for us, especially in London. While Western hasn’t made any statements regarding makeups for exams or graduation, it would be premature to do so at this time. We don’t know how the actions of Western, London, Ontario, or Canada will affect the outbreak. What we do have is the luxury of advice from countless experts, and the opportunity to listen to them so that we can give ourselves a fighting chance.

We can only wait and see what the situation is at the time convocations would regularly begin. In regards to the actions that have been taken, I think Western’s got their shit together. I’m impressed by their decision to be proactive about the impending issue, and to put the lives of at-risk students first. It’s up to us to follow their lead.

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Western Is Treating COVID-19 As A Threat—As They Should

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