The Cowichan Valley School Board has voted to cancel all international travel for the rest of the school year due to concerns about the novel cornavirus.
Students from Frances Kelsey Secondary in Mill Bay had been scheduled to leave Saturday on a trip to London.
The decision to cancel international travel was not made lightly, said board chairwoman Candace Spilsbury.
“Once we weighed all the factors, we realized that the situation with COVID-19 is too fluid and too serious, and we are ultimately responsible for the safety of our learners,” Spilsbury said.
The district has released guidelines for staff and families who are planning personal travel to areas deemed to be affected by COVID-19.
The affected countries are divided into two levels — those deemed to be at Level 2 include Japan and South Korea, while the more serious Level 3 includes China, Iran and Italy.
Level 2 travel will lead to a 14-day self-isolation period with a request that people not come to school while showing signs such as cough and fever.
Anyone who travels to Level 3 areas will also be required to undertake 14 days of isolation, during which they will be asked to stay away from school altogether.
The recommendations mirror those of the provincial government, the district said.
Superintendent Robyn Gray said the district is constantly updating its information and continuing to look at the research and recommendations across the province and country.
The Saanich School District will make a decision early next week on whether to cancel a Parkland Secondary trip to England, France and Spain. A meeting on the status of the trip was held Wednesday.
Saanich has already cancelled a trip to Japan and rerouted another from northern Italy to Germany.
The Greater Victoria School District has cancelled two school trips set for Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain, and one to Italy. The Sooke School District has called off trips to Japan, Greece, Rome and Paris.
Trips planned within North America will be considered by the Sooke School Board next week.
