Some band and choir students at Coquitlam’s Pinetree secondary will be back home from Hawaii tomorrow (Tuesday) after playing a concert at an international landmark.
And they’ve been told to head straight from the airport and into self-isolation to contain any possible spread of the coronavirus.
At the time of their March 11 departure, the young musicians were allowed to leave North America to play on the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor Sunday.
USS Missouri Memorial photo
Other spring break trips to Europe, Asia and Africa, however, were cancelled by School District 43 superintendent Patricia Gartland.
“In light of the COVID-19 outbreak and corresponding travel advisories issued by many countries, including Canada, the district has had to take the necessary precaution of cancelling some of these trips,” she wrote in a letter dated March 4.
It is not known how many Pinetree students are on the trip and what grades there are in but Ken Hoff, School District 43's assistant director of communications and community relations, told The Tri-City News today (Monday) the group is returning home one day early.
They were scheduled to fly back March 18.
“It is recommended that these students and staff follow the guidelines and recommendations of provincial and federal health authorities upon their return,” Hoff said.
An email to Pinetree’s music teacher, Marcia Carmichael, was not immediately returned.
Future North American trips for SD43 students in April and May are being monitored, Hoff said earlier this month.
