Surrey School District cancels 9 international student trips due to COVID-19 concerns

The Surrey School District has cancelled nine international spring break trips due to the global outbreak of coronavirus. 

Trips to Italy, Japan and France will no longer go ahead in March due to the risk of harm to students and staff travelling to those areas, superintendent Jordan Tinney said in a letter to parents.

Tinney said the district took the "necessary precautions" of cancelling the trips after taking into account Health Canada's travel advisories and the "very real potential" that staff and students could be quarantined either overseas or once they return to Canada after their trips.

For other trips still scheduled for spring break, Tinney said the district will continue to monitor the situation daily. 

Tinney did not specify how many students would be affected by the cancellations. 

"The situation around the world is complex, rapidly changing and impacting us all," Tinney said.

"We want to ensure parents, students and staff have time to adjust their plans, and we need to be prepared that between now and spring break there likely will be many changes to the situation."

On Tuesday, the province announced three new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., bringing the total number of patients in the province to 12.

All three new cases are connected to an outbreak in Iran, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. 

The school district is also asking parents and staff who are travelling overseas to consider quarantine when they return.

It is also reminding staff, students and parents to wash their hands and cover their mouths to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

"It takes a collective effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and while we regret having to cancel any planned activities, we see this as a wise and necessary precaution," Tinney said. 

"We will be working dilligently with those schools impacted by the trip cancellations."