6 ms·

Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
this made me cringe: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829/how-do-i-become-a-superhost https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829/how-do-i-become-a-su... maybe their PR department should consider a different name instead of "Superhost"
- scep12 7y ago
  It seems unfortunate in context, at worst. Doesn't feel cringey to me. There are many ways to make a mountain out or a molehill when a sensitive topic is top of mind; best to stay level headed and keep best intentions in mind IMO
- throwqwerty 7y ago
  lol about as cringy as corona beer being called corona beer (their power users have been called super hosts for years)
koheripbal 7y ago
I remember during the SARS outbreak, one of the most common vectors for mass-contamination was hotel usage. I'm going to stay away from Hotels and airbnbs for the next 18 months until the vaccine is ready.
- msoad 7y ago
  I was told we were not successful developing vaccines for any of previous Coronaviruses unfortunately
  - londons_explore 7y ago
    Have we tried though? How about the old-fashioned techniques of "culture a load of the virus, then either cook it or put it in a nuclear reactor for a bit to kill it, and then inject it into people"?
    - simonh 7y ago
      Yes a lot of effort has gone into developing treatments. The term vaccine is often used in the press to refer to all sorts of different treatments, such as anti-viral drugs. Actual vaccines are tricky, we know a lot about influenzas for example and have a wide variety of the viruses to study and experiment with and understand how to develop vaccines against new strains pretty quickly. There has never been a successful vaccine against Coronavirus family viruses though, they seem a lot harder to target effectively.
      - learc83 7y ago
        We had candidates for SARS but it was contained before trials began. Coronavirus is generally too mild and there are too many varieties to worry about developing vaccines for them. It's not that they are particularly hard to develop a vaccine for.
  - mythrwy 7y ago
    According to Bill Gates there are a number of promising vaccine candidates already but won't be in clinical trials until at least June. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/How-to-respond-to-COVID-19 https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/How-to-respond-to-COVID-19
  - ianburrell 7y ago
    SARS had vaccine candidates but disappeared before testing was completed. It sounds like candidates are being used as basis for some SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. There have been announcements for vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2 entering initial trials. It sounds like the delay for vaccine will be full trials and production and not development.
- jimmux 7y ago
  I don't even have the option to avoid them since dozens of apartments in my building are Airbnb. There's a constant stream of international guests coming through our front doors. I actually have a respiratory virus right now, and no idea where I picked it up (my doctor isn't worried, so I guess I shouldn't be either).
jpxw 7y ago
If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.
- Retric 7y ago
  There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.
  - m3kw9 7y ago
    It could have been zero cases if they didn’t start detection, and right now is very limited detection and found 70.
  - brohoolio 7y ago
    I understand what you are saying about overreacting, but citing 70 current cases is misleading. The current thinking according to a tweet I can’t find is that there is a cluster of at least 300 in Washington. I’m guessing if the USA was actually testing as much as they should the current count would be closer to 1,000. The fiasco with the returned cruise ship passengers alone could have dramatically spread it.
    - graeme 7y ago
      This thread: https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426 https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426
  - ulfw 7y ago
    Believing 70 "known" cases in the US = 70 existing cases in the US is a fallacy.
  - graeme 7y ago
    The US has had a severe shortage of tests. Scientests estimate there are probably 150 actual cases in Washington State now We’ll know more as tests are rolled out. But there’s community spread in four states. In a couple weeks American numbers will probably look like South Korea’s now, if not higher. Two weeks about SK had 30 cases. Now almost 4,000. I generally agree about not going to extremes, but your timeline is way too slow. https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426 https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426
evilnames 7y ago
Airbnb, and others, cancellation policies will be a major reason for the spread of this virus. The sunk cost fallacy is alive and well here, people don't want to lose money just because they feel sick even though they know they shouldn't go when not feeling well. I think at this time the travel industry needs to stand up and relax it's policies even further. Airbnb will not refund you a stay unless your flight has been cancelled by the airline. Unfortunately the airlines are giving options right now, Delta for example let's you rebook or get refunds to some countries that are trying to shut down this virus at it's source. But not feeling safe, along with being given a refund on a nonrefundable ticket does not matter to Airbnb at all. My recommendation is if you have to travel in the next three months to somewhere in Asia or the Mediterranean is to make sure your booking is fully refundable or get in contact with your host prior to booking and see how leniant they are. If you thought you could get trip insurance to cover the risk you are also going to be in trouble. Your trip insurance will not cover pandemics, read the fine print.
- microcolonel 7y ago
  I heard from somebody the other day that he would not cancel his trip to Japan under any circumstance unless he was fully refunded for his 500CHF JR pass and 1,200CHF flight, or the flight was cancelled. It mystified me, as somebody who has been penniless before, it still strikes me as beyond stupid.
- heligate229 7y ago
  Can't overemphasised. The fine print of the travel insurance is very important! However, I don't get why cancellation policies will be a major reason of the spread. Your explanation on sunk cost fallacy and cancellation seems to be missing. Airbnb has a clause to refund under "Epidemic disease or illness"
  - graeme 7y ago
    The link says you can only automatically cancel for mainland china and korean trips. So any trips to Italy, Iran, Washington State etc can’t be refunded. It encourages people to still go. Sunk cost fallacy: people might not take a free trip to italy now, but they may go if they previously paid for one.
agumonkey 7y ago
Where's the alexa plugin that infers your covid19 status based on the sound of your voice, breathing, coughing and internet queries for medicine and things you can binge watch for a month ?
- mothsonasloth 7y ago
  The WHO wants to know your location
  - agumonkey 7y ago
    [Earth;Earth]
- DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
  > things you can binge watch for a month? this should get you through March :) ... The Seventh Seal (1957) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ The Last Man on Earth (1964) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/ The Omega Man (1971) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/ The Andromeda Strain (1971) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/ Dawn of the Dead (1978) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/ Outbreak (1995) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/ 12 Monkeys (1995) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/ Cabin Fever (2002) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/ Resident Evil (2002) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ 28 Days Later (2003) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/ Children of Men (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/ 28 Weeks Later (2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/ I Am Legend (2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/ Blindness (2008) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/ Carriers (2009) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806203/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806203/ Daybreakers (2009) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/ Black Death (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1181791/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1181791/ Contagion (2011) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/ Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2011) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4500922/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4500922/ World War Z (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/ Maggie (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881002/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881002/ Train to Busan (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/ The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/ 93 Days (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5305246/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5305246/ Cargo (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3860916/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3860916/ It Comes At Night (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4695012/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4695012/ Rabid (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628902/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628902/ The Hot Zone (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131818/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131818/ edit: There is actually a Wikipedia page for the genre (duh!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_viral_outbreaks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_viral_out...
entwife 7y ago
I'm traveling in Seattle, where as of this morning the health department has confirmed 6 cases of coronavirus of which only one was a recent traveler to China.[0] I would appreciate the ability to cancel a reservation if I feel sick, especially at a reservation with a shared bathroom. [0] https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
- poutine 7y ago
  FYI Washington state has declared a state of emergency. Fears are that it's gone communal with hundreds or thousands of estimated infections in the community. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-reports-first-coronavirus-fatality-as-cases-worldwide-hit-83000/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-reports-fir... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.ht...
  - gdubs 7y ago
    Let’s not post about fears. The situation in Washington in serious. However, a state of emergency was also declared in Santa Clara County weeks ago -they’re necessary for unlocking funding so local governments can prepare. Let’s try to keep discussion to facts, not fears.
    - poutine 7y ago
      No. This is relevant. It was published by the New York Times which is not a hysterical source. From the linked article: Washington State has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, and researchers who studied two cases there say that the virus may have been spreading for weeks, with the possibility that up to 1,500 people may have been infected.
      - gdubs 7y ago
        You’re right. And while I’ve been pointing out to people that panic is never a good response, upon reflection “fear” isn’t the same thing and can actually be a motivator. I’m taking this situation very seriously fwiw and agree with the assessment that there are a lot more cases than reported, and my personal feeling is that we’re two steps behind here in the US.
jtdev 7y ago
Shocking to see that sunk cost fallacy and groupthink are driving decision making rather than sound science and medicine. Here’s a rather ironic example: HIMSS 2020, a conference of ~45000 attendees from 90+ countries is still scheduled to go forward at Orange County Convention Center March 9-13 - even as major participants withdraw from the event. I was actually blocked by HIMSS PR folks on Twitter for inquiring about their preparedness plan... which is inadequate to say the least. To top it off, HHS Secretary Alex Azar is a keynote speaker, so now it’s also a huge political can of worms.
- ghaff 7y ago
  What sorts of preparations would you consider adequate--other than not holding the event? While some things are being cancelled or postponed, the fact is that there are events and travel still happening more or less as usual around most of the world. People are still taking public transit. People are still going into offices. Sporting events are going on. I honestly have trouble distinguishing most of the events that have been cancelled (outside of Asia) from those that are going on. For example, there was just a ~45,000 person security conference held in SF last week.
  - pbourke 7y ago
    It’s simple: large, non-essential public gatherings need to be cancelled. Especially if they involve substantial travel from attendees. It’s fiddling while Rome has caught fire to do anything else.
- PeterisP 7y ago
  A major physics conference (APS March meeting 2-6 Mar in Denver) has been cancelled with very short (36 hours?) notice - https://twitter.com/APSphysics/status/1233950396093214720 https://twitter.com/APSphysics/status/1233950396093214720 , https://march.aps.org/ https://march.aps.org/
- newhere2020 7y ago
  Can you please share which major participants have withdrawn from the event? Where might I be able to look that up? Thanks.

this made me cringe: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829/how-do-i-become-a-superhost https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829/how-do-i-become-a-su... maybe their PR department should consider a different name instead of "Superhost"

scep12 7y ago
It seems unfortunate in context, at worst. Doesn't feel cringey to me. There are many ways to make a mountain out or a molehill when a sensitive topic is top of mind; best to stay level headed and keep best intentions in mind IMO
throwqwerty 7y ago
lol about as cringy as corona beer being called corona beer (their power users have been called super hosts for years)

koheripbal 7y ago

I remember during the SARS outbreak, one of the most common vectors for mass-contamination was hotel usage. I'm going to stay away from Hotels and airbnbs for the next 18 months until the vaccine is ready.

msoad 7y ago
I was told we were not successful developing vaccines for any of previous Coronaviruses unfortunately
- londons_explore 7y ago
  Have we tried though? How about the old-fashioned techniques of "culture a load of the virus, then either cook it or put it in a nuclear reactor for a bit to kill it, and then inject it into people"?
  - simonh 7y ago
    Yes a lot of effort has gone into developing treatments. The term vaccine is often used in the press to refer to all sorts of different treatments, such as anti-viral drugs. Actual vaccines are tricky, we know a lot about influenzas for example and have a wide variety of the viruses to study and experiment with and understand how to develop vaccines against new strains pretty quickly. There has never been a successful vaccine against Coronavirus family viruses though, they seem a lot harder to target effectively.
    - learc83 7y ago
      We had candidates for SARS but it was contained before trials began. Coronavirus is generally too mild and there are too many varieties to worry about developing vaccines for them. It's not that they are particularly hard to develop a vaccine for.
- mythrwy 7y ago
  According to Bill Gates there are a number of promising vaccine candidates already but won't be in clinical trials until at least June. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/How-to-respond-to-COVID-19 https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/How-to-respond-to-COVID-19
- ianburrell 7y ago
  SARS had vaccine candidates but disappeared before testing was completed. It sounds like candidates are being used as basis for some SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. There have been announcements for vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2 entering initial trials. It sounds like the delay for vaccine will be full trials and production and not development.
jimmux 7y ago
I don't even have the option to avoid them since dozens of apartments in my building are Airbnb. There's a constant stream of international guests coming through our front doors. I actually have a respiratory virus right now, and no idea where I picked it up (my doctor isn't worried, so I guess I shouldn't be either).

jpxw 7y ago

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

Retric 7y ago
There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.
- m3kw9 7y ago
  It could have been zero cases if they didn’t start detection, and right now is very limited detection and found 70.
- brohoolio 7y ago
  I understand what you are saying about overreacting, but citing 70 current cases is misleading. The current thinking according to a tweet I can’t find is that there is a cluster of at least 300 in Washington. I’m guessing if the USA was actually testing as much as they should the current count would be closer to 1,000. The fiasco with the returned cruise ship passengers alone could have dramatically spread it.
  - graeme 7y ago
    This thread: https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426 https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426
- ulfw 7y ago
  Believing 70 "known" cases in the US = 70 existing cases in the US is a fallacy.
- graeme 7y ago
  The US has had a severe shortage of tests. Scientests estimate there are probably 150 actual cases in Washington State now We’ll know more as tests are rolled out. But there’s community spread in four states. In a couple weeks American numbers will probably look like South Korea’s now, if not higher. Two weeks about SK had 30 cases. Now almost 4,000. I generally agree about not going to extremes, but your timeline is way too slow. https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426 https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426

evilnames 7y ago

Airbnb, and others, cancellation policies will be a major reason for the spread of this virus. The sunk cost fallacy is alive and well here, people don't want to lose money just because they feel sick even though they know they shouldn't go when not feeling well. I think at this time the travel industry needs to stand up and relax it's policies even further. Airbnb will not refund you a stay unless your flight has been cancelled by the airline. Unfortunately the airlines are giving options right now, Delta for example let's you rebook or get refunds to some countries that are trying to shut down this virus at it's source. But not feeling safe, along with being given a refund on a nonrefundable ticket does not matter to Airbnb at all. My recommendation is if you have to travel in the next three months to somewhere in Asia or the Mediterranean is to make sure your booking is fully refundable or get in contact with your host prior to booking and see how leniant they are. If you thought you could get trip insurance to cover the risk you are also going to be in trouble. Your trip insurance will not cover pandemics, read the fine print.

microcolonel 7y ago
I heard from somebody the other day that he would not cancel his trip to Japan under any circumstance unless he was fully refunded for his 500CHF JR pass and 1,200CHF flight, or the flight was cancelled. It mystified me, as somebody who has been penniless before, it still strikes me as beyond stupid.
heligate229 7y ago
Can't overemphasised. The fine print of the travel insurance is very important! However, I don't get why cancellation policies will be a major reason of the spread. Your explanation on sunk cost fallacy and cancellation seems to be missing. Airbnb has a clause to refund under "Epidemic disease or illness"
- graeme 7y ago
  The link says you can only automatically cancel for mainland china and korean trips. So any trips to Italy, Iran, Washington State etc can’t be refunded. It encourages people to still go. Sunk cost fallacy: people might not take a free trip to italy now, but they may go if they previously paid for one.

agumonkey 7y ago

Where's the alexa plugin that infers your covid19 status based on the sound of your voice, breathing, coughing and internet queries for medicine and things you can binge watch for a month ?

mothsonasloth 7y ago
The WHO wants to know your location
- agumonkey 7y ago
  [Earth;Earth]
DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
> things you can binge watch for a month? this should get you through March :) ... The Seventh Seal (1957) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ The Last Man on Earth (1964) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/ The Omega Man (1971) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/ The Andromeda Strain (1971) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/ Dawn of the Dead (1978) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/ Outbreak (1995) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/ 12 Monkeys (1995) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/ Cabin Fever (2002) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/ Resident Evil (2002) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ 28 Days Later (2003) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/ Children of Men (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/ 28 Weeks Later (2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/ I Am Legend (2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/ Blindness (2008) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/ Carriers (2009) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806203/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806203/ Daybreakers (2009) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/ Black Death (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1181791/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1181791/ Contagion (2011) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/ Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2011) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4500922/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4500922/ World War Z (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/ Maggie (2015) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881002/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881002/ Train to Busan (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/ The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/ 93 Days (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5305246/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5305246/ Cargo (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3860916/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3860916/ It Comes At Night (2017) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4695012/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4695012/ Rabid (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628902/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628902/ The Hot Zone (2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131818/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131818/ edit: There is actually a Wikipedia page for the genre (duh!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_viral_outbreaks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_viral_out...

entwife 7y ago

I'm traveling in Seattle, where as of this morning the health department has confirmed 6 cases of coronavirus of which only one was a recent traveler to China.[0] I would appreciate the ability to cancel a reservation if I feel sick, especially at a reservation with a shared bathroom. [0] https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus

poutine 7y ago
FYI Washington state has declared a state of emergency. Fears are that it's gone communal with hundreds or thousands of estimated infections in the community. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-reports-first-coronavirus-fatality-as-cases-worldwide-hit-83000/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-reports-fir... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.ht...
- gdubs 7y ago
  Let’s not post about fears. The situation in Washington in serious. However, a state of emergency was also declared in Santa Clara County weeks ago -they’re necessary for unlocking funding so local governments can prepare. Let’s try to keep discussion to facts, not fears.
  - poutine 7y ago
    No. This is relevant. It was published by the New York Times which is not a hysterical source. From the linked article: Washington State has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, and researchers who studied two cases there say that the virus may have been spreading for weeks, with the possibility that up to 1,500 people may have been infected.
    - gdubs 7y ago
      You’re right. And while I’ve been pointing out to people that panic is never a good response, upon reflection “fear” isn’t the same thing and can actually be a motivator. I’m taking this situation very seriously fwiw and agree with the assessment that there are a lot more cases than reported, and my personal feeling is that we’re two steps behind here in the US.

jtdev 7y ago

Shocking to see that sunk cost fallacy and groupthink are driving decision making rather than sound science and medicine. Here’s a rather ironic example: HIMSS 2020, a conference of ~45000 attendees from 90+ countries is still scheduled to go forward at Orange County Convention Center March 9-13 - even as major participants withdraw from the event. I was actually blocked by HIMSS PR folks on Twitter for inquiring about their preparedness plan... which is inadequate to say the least. To top it off, HHS Secretary Alex Azar is a keynote speaker, so now it’s also a huge political can of worms.

ghaff 7y ago
What sorts of preparations would you consider adequate--other than not holding the event? While some things are being cancelled or postponed, the fact is that there are events and travel still happening more or less as usual around most of the world. People are still taking public transit. People are still going into offices. Sporting events are going on. I honestly have trouble distinguishing most of the events that have been cancelled (outside of Asia) from those that are going on. For example, there was just a ~45,000 person security conference held in SF last week.
- pbourke 7y ago
  It’s simple: large, non-essential public gatherings need to be cancelled. Especially if they involve substantial travel from attendees. It’s fiddling while Rome has caught fire to do anything else.
PeterisP 7y ago
A major physics conference (APS March meeting 2-6 Mar in Denver) has been cancelled with very short (36 hours?) notice - https://twitter.com/APSphysics/status/1233950396093214720 https://twitter.com/APSphysics/status/1233950396093214720 , https://march.aps.org/ https://march.aps.org/
newhere2020 7y ago
Can you please share which major participants have withdrawn from the event? Where might I be able to look that up? Thanks.