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PM40050478 THURSDAY MARCH 12, 2020 ---DEAL OF THE WEEK--- 6MM THICK • 100% WATERPROOF! CLICK VINYL PLANKS $100PER SQ FTREG 3.99FROM mid-century modern designs 878 Weber St. North, Waterloo 519-747-1832 | Open 7 Days stjacobsfurnishings.ca locally-handcrafted real solidwood furniture BrowseBrowseBr collections in contemporary,contemporary,cont traditional, rustic and more.more.mor Plus,Plus, visit our Palliser gallerygallery for Canadian leather and fabric upholstery.upholstery.upholst @stjacobsfurnishings WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW? WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? WE EXPLAIN THE SEEMINGLY- UNSTOPPABLE CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY. W A T E R LO O C H R O N IC LE .C A /C O R O N A V IR U S Seeing local post-secondary students in face masks isn't un- common in Waterloo, especially with the novel coronavirus (CO- VID-19) outbreak still on the rise globally. Though some wonder what the scene will look like next week, when thousands of higher learners are expected to converge on Ezra Avenue for St. Patrick's Day. Local post-secondary institu- tions, first responders and orga- nizations, including the City of Waterloo, have been working to change the trajectory of the an- nual street party, which grew to an estimated 33,000 people last year. Almost two years ago, a task force was formed to tackle large, unsanctioned street gatherings on Ezra Avenue -- including the St. Paddy's Day event. But, none of the recommenda- CORONAVIRUS CONCERN BUILDS WITH ST. PADDY'S DAY ON HORIZON BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.cabjackson@kitchenerpost.cab See EZRA, page 4 A University of Waterloo student makes their way to class Tuesday morning as concern over the spread of the novel coronavirus continues to build. Bill Jackson/Torstar