School trip to Dominican orphanage cancelled over coronavirus fears

Two Ottawa high schools have had a"once-in-a-lifetime" humanitarian trip to a Caribbean orphanage cancelled over concerns students and staff could contract COVID-19 on their travels.

About 20 students from Collge catholiqueMer Bleue and Collge catholique Franco-Ouestwere scheduled to visitthe Dominican Republic over March Break. They were preparingto depart March 14, and return to Ottawa eight days later.

But on Tuesday, students were told their school board, the Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est, hascancelled all international trips because of the coronavirusoutbreak.

In an email, the school boardsaid itdecided to cancel all international trips "due to the increase in the number of cases of the COVID-19 virus worldwide," and will inform parents "in a timely manner" if and when travel resumes.

Students raised thousands

Anabelle Price, a Grade 12 student at Mer Bleue, disagrees with that blanket policy, pointing outthere's so far justone confirmed case of the virus in the Dominican.

"There is more of a chance of us getting it here than over there, if you compare the number of cases," Price said.

The 17-year-old said she saved up $2,000 to pay the trip to the Dominican, where students were going to volunteer at anorphanage and helprenovate a local school. The Ottawa students would also have stayedat the orphanage.

Price's classmateLa Roy, also 17, said she cried after finding out about the cancellation. She said the grouphad worked for more than a year to raisemoney for the trip.

"We had garage sales, bake sales, selling stuff on our own, goingdoor-to-door collecting cans and selling cheese and bedsheets," Roy said.

Orphanage 'was depending on us'

The studentseach collecteda suitcasefull of toys, books and clothing, goods they planned to donate to the children they encountered.

"The orphanage was depending on us for services, our money, our donations. They were counting on us to bring that stuff over there and be there for that week," Price said.

Roy's mother, Sylvie Demers, saidshe's disappointed her daughter will miss out on a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity, and said the decision to cancel the tripshould have been left to the students themselves.

"These students are in Grade 12. They're very close to the age of majority," Demers said. "They are very mature students who should have been consulted, because they have the full understanding of what's going on in the world."

Officials at theOttawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board have met to discussthe impact of COVID-19, and saidthey'll make a decision about pending school trips soon.