On Monday, March 9, the governor of Ohio declared a state of emergency after three people in Cuyahoga County were diagnosed with the coronavirus. The announcement sent Ohio into a panic as businesses and events tried to figure out the best way to prevent the spread of the virus. This resulted in many of these places and events getting closed or postponed, including many college campuses.

My college is one of them.

After the announcement of my college being closed until at least mid-April, I heard a lot of mixed messages from fellow students, family, and faculty. Reactions ranged from excited to mad to indifferent, but no matter how people were feeling about the total online class schedule, there was a consensus — the school was overreacting.

Many think that canceling sporting events and lecture halls because of a virus that has only infected about 1,000 country-wide is ridiculous. They think closing colleges won't stop the spread, just prolong it. They aren't worried about catching the virus because so far the death rate for healthy under 60-year-olds is about .02 percent.

I, on the other hand, am very thankful that my college made the decision to cancel all in-person classes.

I, like many others, am not healthy enough to fight coronavirus off.

When I received the email saying my college was canceling classes, I felt an actual weight lifted off my shoulders. Since the virus spread to the US, I knew it was only a matter of time before it reached my state and city. Being immunocompromised, that thought was enough to drive me crazy. I could wash my hands every hour, Lysol my dorm room, and wear a mask, but my fate was really in everyone else's hands. Knowing that I now don't have to expose myself to anyone other then my close family who is aware of my health situation is very calming. I can now sleep peacefully at night knowing that I won't have to sit at a desk that someone might have sneezed on.

This doesn't just go for the immunocompromised though. Canceling class helps the professors and staff, which many are over 60 years old, and all other students who, despite being healthy, could still have trouble fighting off corona. Being in close proximity to 500-1,000 different people a day could result in the quick spread of any virus, let alone a virus that seems to spread fast anyways.

Shutting down college campuses is a good and efficient way to slow down coronavirus and to ensure that people stay safe, no matter their age or health condition.

I am very proud of my school for taking the steps necessary for their students and staff, and you should be too. Class may be a little harder, and you may have to waste some of the money you spent to live in the dorm, but you'll be saving yourself and a lot of other people from getting sick. That's what we should really be focused on.