Question: I am a junior at a large state university. Lately, as you all have probably heard, the coronavirus is spreading like a wildfire and we all should be scared.

My instructor is from China, and my school is also filled with Asian students. How do I ask for excused absences so that I can stay at home for the lectures so that I won't get the virus from my instructor or my Asian classmates? Do I contact the chair of the department that's offering the course or the dean of the school? Would it be better if I ask to switch to an online class instead (it's already after the add/drop period)

Some suggestion would be helpful.

Answer: 
You should do none of these things and we should not all be scared. This would be panic reaction.

You have not said in which country you are studying, but the Health authorities of most governments have issued official advice to their citizens which you should follow. Most institutions, such as universities, will also have issued official advice which you should also read and follow.

If you are in the UK the Department of Health has provided advice to UK universities.

If you wanted personal action, using hand cleansing gel dispensers provided by the university will reduce incidents of cross contamination and ensure regular hand-washing is your best defence.
"We should all be scared" [citation needed]

However, some concern is reasonable. For this reason it is likely that your university has developed policies around this topic. Ask your contact point at the university (e.g. a student service centre or similar). Please be careful to avoid racism against people who look Asian.