Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHello Steering Committee--
Today is Monday, and we're just a week away from pre-conference training for what should be our Discovery Summit Munich conference. Like you, we're watching the spread of this virus carefully. We're watching the data -- actually, as you might imagine, we're exploring the data and visualizing trends and making predictions.
We're also interested in knowing what you're hearing right now as it relates to travel. Please feel free to share any and all information with us today. We are currently exploring contingency plans should we decide to cancel or scale back the conference.
In fact, we hope make a decision later today. If you'd like to share your thoughts with us, now is the time.
Stay healthy!
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi all
yes I think the JMP team did a great job to set up the online conference. Thank you so much!
Jeff, missed very much your live introduction, was looking forward to seeing what you would come up with this time!;)
But still was nice to join online.
Best
Angela.
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi,
Also thanks from my side for making the online summit possible! I'm looking forward to the next presentations.
Are you going to provide recordings of the talks through the community's website?
Björn
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi
I think that it worked well and will attend today too.
Great that many presentations can be held.
Still I would really have liked to attend a summit, learning and networking outside the breakouts.
That I miss, but given the status on the covid-19 it was not possible.
BR
Birgitte
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusThanks, @egon_gross.
I'm glad it worked well. Without our great users volunteering to present though it couldn't happen. So, we owe them some great thanks as well.
As for me, I'm...zzzzzz....sorry, dozed off there for a second...yes, it was a bit early for me this morning but I'm headed home now for some rest before doing it again tomorrow.;)
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi everyone,
it was nice to follow the presentations today -even as they were not personally.
You folks from JMP did a great job to make this happen. It must have been hard getting up real early;)
Greetings
Egon
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi Kathy and all,
thank you for following this issue closely.
I have seen the meeting was canceled. I think it is - unfortunately - the best option. With people travelling from several countries we cannot ensure a sufficently high level of safety. I am deeply sorry. Waiting for further info.
Kind regards
Angela.
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusHi,
Of course, the virus is also a major topic in our company. Officially, there are only restrictions applicable if people from high-risk areas (China, South Korea, Italy etc.) are involved, i.e., if employees return from these areas or were in contact with people returning from this area (how do you know?) within the last 14 days, we are instructed to stay at home.
I'm currently checking if there are any restrictions regarding events like Discovery. Up to now, there is no company rule prohibiting my participation. However, this might change on daily basis.
My personal opinion on the matter:
(a) the problem with Corona is that it seems to be already transmissible during the 14+ days incubation phase and that a significant amount of people do not show symptoms and/or may easily be confused with a simple common cold. Due to the fact that Discovery is a highly international meeting, I believe that there's a much higher chance of getting in contact with infected people than if it were a local meeting. Therefore, identifying people that might be sick wouldn't be sufficient.
(b) About the measures that you mention in the community and the Discovery website: one additional measure that I believe might make sense is to avoid buffets and having food served (over a counter) instead. If I recall correctly most of the time meals were served as buffets at Discovery. But those are the best chances for transmission because people get into close contact with food by touching it or simply through the droplets in the exhaled air.
(c) Another measure to reduce infection rates is to avoid close contact. If people are talking between the presentations, it is easy to keep some (respectful) distance to another person. During presentations distances are significantly reduced.
Long story short, these are my thoughts on it, hopefully not too negative but an event like Discovery seems to me one of the best opportunities for germs to spread with little means to reduce risk without making the meeting uncomfortable for the attendees.
For national information, I usually consult the Robert-Koch-Institute which is the German CDC equivalent (www.rki.de). Some information is available on English but mostly in German.
Did you consider to contact the officials in Munich, if they have any information or advice?
Here's a link to the city of Munich with contact addresses:
https://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Referat-fuer-Gesundheit-und-Umwelt/Infektionsschutz/Neuartiges_Coronavirus.html
However, you'd probably need some support from your German-speaking colleagues to get in contact with them.
Björn
Re: Response Needed: Your Input on Discovery Summit and CoronavirusThis was the guidance that was shared by Intel. The subsequent response from JMP meant that those of us who were planning to attend still can.
My personal opinion is that I have no problem with attending something that is in an equivalent risk zone as my own country. I would be seriously concerned if there was anyone travelling from an affected area.
Due to concerns regarding the ongoing novel Coronavirus outbreak, Intel has recently introduced new travel and event restrictions for employees as a precaution. Among these, until further notice Intel personnel are not permitted to attend large meetings or events that are not hosted and controlled by Intel, or where all attendees cannot be confirmed as following a comparable travel policy.
Intel's travel and events policy includes: No travel to, from or through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, or Italy in the last 14 days before the event, or known to have been in close contact with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus.
