Canada's Leah Kirchman told Cycling News that she has chosen to stay in the Netherlands for the time being and follow the recommendation to restrict travel in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. She is currently staying at the Sunweb Team Center in Sittard and plans to return to Canada within the next few weeks.

"I want to make it clear that I am not staying in the Netherlands, but choosing to stay here for the time being," Kirchman told Cycling News.

"The team has not restricted our movement and has given us the option to return home or not. The team is taking all necessary precautions to protect the health of the riders and staff. I am at the team's "Keep-Challenging" center in Sittard with a small group of riders, including two other Canadians."

Kirchman is originally from Winnipeg but now lives outside of Toronto. He is in his fourth season with Sunweb (formerly known as Liv Planteur) and spends most of his season abroad.

This season started with the Santos Women's Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and Race Torquay in Australia in January and February. She then traveled to Europe to start the spring classic season.

Public health concerns over the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the cancellation or postponement of many top-level one-day races held from March through June. These included events in China, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands: the Tour of Chongmin Island, Strade Bianche, Bebrising Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Drydags Bruges des Pannees, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Ardennes Classic, and Women's Tour.

Also on Sunday, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that it would not send athletes to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics amid health risks related to the coronavirus.

"We are acting as responsibly as possible, limiting the number of people we come into contact with and only going out for training and grocery shopping. We are facing a major public health challenge and we all need to work together to overcome it," Kirchman said. [I miss my boyfriend, my friends, and my family, but I also blame myself for not going to see them at this very moment. I am thankful that technology allows us to communicate so easily."

Kirchman said that the health concerns of the coronavirus should be everyone's top priority and that for now they have decided that staying in one place and limiting travel is the safest option.

"I am staying [in Sittard] for the time being for several reasons. When we are in Europe, we are hired as proper employees, we have work visas, Dutch health insurance, and we have a very good relationship with the team.

"We also live in our own apartment, so in our current situation it's easy to put some social distance between us."

"There is also a strong recommendation now that everyone in the world should limit their travel. If I were to travel, if I were to come in contact with the virus, it would be a risk to myself and my community here in Canada."

Neither Canada nor the Netherlands are completely blockaded at this time. In Canada, provinces have declared a state of emergency, and some have restricted social gatherings to five people.

Public and private schools and daycare centers have closed, as have gyms, health centers, bars, cafes, restaurants [except those offering drive-through, take-out, and delivery], movie theaters, tourist attractions and cultural attractions, as well as some stores, and banks have changed their hours of operation.

In addition, the Canada-U.S. border is closed to all non-essential travel. However, the coronavirus outbreak has prompted both border restrictions and flight cancellations, leaving many travelers struggling to return to Canada.

"I may choose to return home in the next few weeks, but upon my return I will be quarantined for 14 days with all necessary precautions," Kirchman said.

"With flight cancellations and border closures, travel options are becoming more limited, but we are confident that there are still ways to return home."