Dear TASIS Community,

Given the understandable fears surrounding the coronavirus and the fact that we have rolled out new drop-off and pick-up procedures due to campus construction, we believe that this first week back at school has gone about as well as it could have. I continue to be inspired by the resilience, flexibility, and dedication of our entire community.

Many thanks to the entire community for your continuing cooperation with all of our new procedures, including temperature checks at home and the following of good hygiene practices. Thank you too for your use of our free shuttle service, which reduces traffic congestion around TASIS. Finally, thanks to everyone for understanding that some of our students will display normal cold and flu symptoms and that we will take all typical and additional measures in response to those symptoms.

Recent Coronavirus Developments

We learned of some developments yesterday and today that will help inform our ongoing planning:

• As you may be aware, a student at a school in Bellinzona tested positive for the coronavirus. We noted that the cantonal health authorities followed their protocols of isolating all those who had contact with the student and did not recommend closing the school.
• In a related development, we recently reached out to Ticino's Department of Health and Society (DSS) to make sure they are aware that TASIS is an independent boarding school. Emanuele Berger of Ticino's Department of Education, Culture, and Sport responded, with the cantonal doctor Giorgio Merlani in copy, and invited us to follow the provisions of the cantonal schools.
• Ticino authorities also announced in yesterday's press conference that at the present time there will be no school closures while noting that they are concerned about pressure on healthcare facilities. 
• As you may also be aware, the Italian government announced that it will close schools until March 15. Experts from the Ministry of Health, however, questioned this measure, citing limited scientific evidence of its efficacy.
• Switzerland has recorded its first fatality related to the coronavirus, a 74-year-old in Lausanne who suffered from chronic conditions prior to contracting the virus. 
• Finally, in the World Health Organization's remarks on March 3, Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus cites a few key differences between coronavirus and influenza that are important to understand.

Importance of Accurate Information

A New TASIS Resource

As we continue to adapt to this challenging and ever-changing situation, I would like to call your attention to a Coronavirus Information page we've created on the TASIS website, which you can access at tasis.ch/coronavirus. There you will find an archive of all our coronavirus-related communications, a current list of our protocols and policies, and a collection of links to expert resources. We will continue to provide email updates as needed, but keeping all of the pertinent information in one place should prove to be more efficient as we move forward.

Looking Ahead

Please note that we plan to proceed with classes as normal for the upcoming weeks and to continue abiding by the protocols and policies laid out on our new web page. We are closely monitoring both federal and local guidelines as we turn our attention to the upcoming spring holiday (April 4–19) and are in the process of developing contingency plans in the event that any students are unable to return to their home countries.

Thank you once again for all you are doing to keep our community healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Christopher Nikoloff

TASIS Headmaster