In response to recent developments regarding COVID-19, I wanted to provide an update on our membership meeting scheduled for later this month in San Diego. As of today, WE PLAN TO HOLD THIS MEETING; we are monitoring developments and guidance from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and state and local officials carefully and closely, however, and our decision to go forward with the meeting could change as the situation nationally is quite fluid and difficult to predict.

Joining us for this meeting, as an attendee or a presenter, is a choice that everyone will have to make for themselves based on the specifics of their individual situation; in addition I recognize that some attendees may be facing travel restrictions imposed by their employers. I ask that if you choose not to attend that you please let us know; if you are a presenter, we will work with you to make alternative arrangements to share your planned presentation with the CNI community through a mechanism such as a separately scheduled webinar.  As always, we will attempt to capture and subsequently make available  many key sessions for those who can't be with us, as well as those who wouldn't be at the meeting in any case.

Obviously, we are focused on ensuring the health and safety of all meeting participants. We are in discussion with the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel , where we will hold the meeting, about measures such as additional hand sanitizing stations, and have the following statement from Marriott (the parent company of Westin):

"In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Marriott International is reinforcing recommended measures on appropriate hygiene standards and following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), applicable guidelines of the global and local health authorities, and taking relevant health and safety measures. […] our housekeeping team is currently working on adding additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the hotel as well as internally reminding associates of proper hand washing habits. The San Diego Tourism Authority has also issued a statement regarding coronavirus - https://www.sandiego.org/about/coronavirus.aspx."

If anything changes we will let you know as soon as we know. In the interim, if you have questions, please be in touch with me or Diane Goldenberg-Hart (diane@cni.org).

Clifford Lynch
Director, CNI