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Just recently they were shouting that they'll proceed with the conference[1]. Seen too many of those who were just few weeks ago advocating that COVID-19 is not

by zenlot 7y ago

Just recently they were shouting that they'll proceed with the conference[1]. Seen too many of those who were just few weeks ago advocating that COVID-19 is not a threat and it will be BAU. Finally everyone stopped ignoring and taking it seriously. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22471162 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22471162

nedbat 7y ago
Conference organizers are liable for cancelled contracts, unless the cancellation is due to a larger force. Did you read the March 12th blog post? https://pycon.blogspot.com/2020/03/march-12-update-on-covid-19.html https://pycon.blogspot.com/2020/03/march-12-update-on-covid-...
- zenlot 7y ago
  Last time their argument was: "Currently, there have not been any COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania".
  - nedbat 7y ago
    So despite their blog post explaining why it took so long to cancel, you believe something nefarious or incompetent was going on?
nuclear_eclipse 7y ago
By all accounts I've heard, the organizers have wanted to cancel the event for a while now, but for liability and financial reasons, couldn't afford to until they were "forced" to. Eg, venue contracts, sponsorship agreements, etc, generally stipulate that if the conference cancels without good reason, they owe large fees or penalties to the venue, sponsors, etc. The PSF does not have the operational budget to absorb these penalties while also refunding the money for everyone who was planning to attend. So they had to act as if everything was going ahead as normal while also hoping and planning for any contingency that would allow them to cancel the event without suffering financial ruin.