Okanagan Mission Secondary School students won’t be going on an overseas trip to Europe due to the coronavirus.
Central Okanagan school board trustees decided to cancel the trip at the request of the school’s principal and staff during a school board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Board trustee Moyra Baxter said the decision to cancel the trip wasn’t made easily.
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“Many of the students had been planning this trip for three years,” said Baxter.
“This would’ve been the last school trip for Grade 12 students before they graduate. The cancellation is very upsetting for all the students and teachers who were planning to go.”
As part of the trip, students were planning to visit Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Italy.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 400 people have become infected from the virus in Italy alone, while 81,000 people have been infected worldwide.
In Canada, 19 people have now contracted the virus case, including 7 people in B.C.
Earlier this month, Kevin Kaardal, the superintendent of Central Okanagan Public Schools, issued a letter to parents outlining steps their families can take to avoid contracting the virus.
Baxter said parents are likely to be refunded for cancelling the trip.
For more information on the coronavirus, you can visit the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s website.
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