HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's top doctor met with post-secondary institutions across the province Wednesday as worldwide coronavirus developments change by the minute.
The meeting was hosted by Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health.
There are no confirmed or probable cases or coronavirus being reported anywhere in the Maritimes at this time.
"Really, it was to reinforce the current practices and precautions that we are taking and that includes ensuring that we're communicating with our students, faculty, and staff," says Robert Summerby-Murray, president of Saint Mary's University in Halifax.
"Here at Saint Mary's we're roughly 32 per cent international, 115 different countries, and that includes a number of students from China," says Summerby-Murray. "So we are very sensitive to their needs and their concerns. All of our post-secondary institutions, universities, and community colleges are very much engaged in global issues."
Some Canadian post-secondary institutions have been forced this week to dispel false rumors of coronavirus on its campuses, including Toronto's Ryerson University.
Students living together in close proximity and the potential for misinformation being spread have put post-secondary institutions in the spotlight during past public health risks, including 2009's H1N1 influenza.
