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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 19 ,2 02 0 | 4 the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity announced Mon- day that all students would be required to move out of university-operated resi- dences at all campus loca- tions by Wednesday, March 18 at 11:59 p.m. "We recognize how dis- ruptive this will be as you move out of the space you've called home and we're committed to sup- porting you through this process," reads the state- ment from Laurier, which outlines exceptional cir- cumstances for interna- tional students, out-of- province students who need extra time to move out, students who live more than five hours away from campus and students who are currently self-isolat- ing. But as reported by the Chronicle on Monday, many students have al- ready left campus or were in the process of leaving. "I don't really know of anyone who's staying in the building," said Ashley Back- shall, who was on her way back to Crystal Beach Mon- day from her student resi- dence on Bricker Avenue. While she said some of her friends were staying until Wednesday - due to assignments - most were already gone. Tia Brierley was headed back to the Niagara region with her father and niece, who picked her up outside her home on Ezra Avenue, and she said most of her friends and neighbours were doing the same. "Most people are decid- ing to either go home or get out of here before people from out of town come for St. Patrick's Day," she said. "No one here really wants to deal with it." Just how far this year's measures will go toward quelling future St. Pat- rick's Day events on Ezra Avenue is anyone's guess. A report compiled by a task force released earlier this year include a dozen recommendations and more than 40 actions to curtail the event under normal circumstances. Waterloo Region's asso- ciate medical officer of health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, thanked people for staying away this year. "I thank those young people who are smart and responsible and are play- ing their part in helping our community to stay safe," she said Tuesday morning. "Thank you for taking a stand. Now it's up to our cit- izens to protect our com- munity." Public health reported the ninth confirmed case of coronavirus in Waterloo region on Tuesday. The emergency declara- tion means that all indoor recreation facilities, thea- tres, concert venues, pri- vate schools and licensed child care centres must close, as well as bars and restaurants, except those providing take out and drive-thru options. "We are facing an un- precedented time in our history," said Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday. "COVID-19 constitutes a danger of major propor- tions. We are taking this ex- traordinary measure be- cause we must offer our full support and every pow- er possible to help our health care sector fight the spread of COVID-19. The health and well-being of ev- ery Ontarian must be our number one priority." Ontario is also investing up to $304 million to en- hance the province's re- sponse to COVID-19. - with files from Torstar News Service STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The annual St. Patrick's Day gathering in Waterloo grew to an esti- mated 33,000 people last year and has posed an ongoing safety concern for city officials, law enforce- ment and first responders. NEWS A woman decked out in green covers her face before being picked up on King Street near Ezra Avenue Tuesday morning. Bill Jackson/Tortsar Continued from page 1 'NOW IT'S UP TO OUR CITIZENS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY' Sabrina Agostino was smiling outside the stu- dent residence at 44 Brick- er Ave. shortly before noon on Monday, armed with stacks of unassembled cardboard boxes from the back of her SUV. The Bolton mom was in town to pick up her daugh- ter, a first-year bio-chemis- try student, after local post-secondary schools an- nounced the cancellation of in-person classes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "She initially wanted to stay for the St. Paddy's Day celebrations, but none of her friends are, so we're go- ing to pack her up and bring her home," said Agostino. "It would have been her first St. Paddy's Day (on Ez- ra), but we keep telling her you have to practise social distancing right now, and that's not it." Agostino was just one of many parents picking up their kids from student residences on Monday. The University of Wa- terloo, Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity and Conestoga Col- lege have cancelled re- BETTER THAN EZRA: STUDENTS HEAD HOME WITH ST. PADDY'S IN OFFING BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca 'NO ONE HERE REALLY WANTS TO DEAL WITH IT,' STUDENT SAYS Three international students from France who were being picked up by an Uber driver on Bricker Avenue Monday said they planned to head back home, with final classes and exams being conducted online. Bill Jackson/Torstar See - page 5