Boise State to test coronavirus preparation Friday. Here’s how — and who will be watching
Boise State University will switch to online classes only Friday to simulate what would happen if in-person classes were canceled because of the new coronavirus.
“Our goals in this effort are to care for our communities and to ensure that we all have the tools to successfully navigate any significant challenges we might face as a university,” BSU spokesman Greg Hahn wrote in a media release.
More than 40 colleges — including the University of Washington, Stanford and Harvard, which are located in communities with coronavirus outbreaks — have moved classes online to prevent the spread of the virus.
There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Idaho, and state public health leaders say the risk for individuals remains low.
Boise State faculty members have been working with technology and course-delivery experts to prepare for offering classes online. Friday’s practice day will help identify any additional training, steps and preparation needed in case BSU has to suspend in-person courses and public events, Hahn said.
All university departments and divisions have been asked to discuss the effective protocols and challenges of maintaining essential operations over an extended period of disruption. More than 3,000 students live on campus, and their health and safety, and the delivery of food, remain vital on days when most employees and visitors are kept away from campus, BSU said.
“We will be working with our state government and other Idaho universities — representatives of which will come to Boise State on Friday for this exercise — to develop stronger and more effective statewide preparation for large-scale emergencies,” Hahn said.
Boise’s handling of coronavirus
The announcement from BSU came the same day that Boise Mayor Lauren McLean held a press conference on the virus, followed by an agenda item during the City Council work session at which officials shared updates on the how the city is handling preparations.
Those updates included:
- Large events, including Treefort Music Festival, will go on as planned as of now. The city is taking its direction from the Central District Health Department, which has not advised any cancellations yet.
- Valley Regional Transit staff, as well as officials at the Boise Airport, have stepped up cleaning measures.
- City officials have a city coronavirus task force and are members of the Ada City County Emergency Management Executive Council, which is coordinating with hospitals, schools and health officials.
- McLean has the authority to place areas of the city in quarantine if that were to become necessary.
- Councilman TJ Thomson said that although Boise officials hadn’t talked about it yet, it would be possible to consider measures similar to those enacted in Columbia, South Carolina, which limited the number of officials required to attend meetings.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 4:36 PM.
.jpg)