Today, the World Health Organization designated the Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. NRLCA National Officers have been closely following the quickly developing news about COVID-19’s spread for several weeks, and we are continuing to gather information from the CDC, WHO, state and local public health departments, and other government and health organizations about recommended actions to prevent the spread. As a result of these recommendations, the NRLCA National Board has determined that it is in the best interest of our staff, representatives, and members to limit non-essential travel and meetings to the greatest extent possible.
Many of us are within the groups that are at an elevated risk for very serious reactions to the virus or are in frequent contact with such individuals, including family members. We are also frequently in close contact with members of the public. Thus, like many businesses, unions, educational institutions, and other organizations across the country that have canceled meetings and events and limited travel, we have decided to follow the best public health practices and cancel events that involve large gatherings of people. This will help to diminish disease transmission and protect everyone in our communities, particularly the most vulnerable.
We have been in touch with the Eastern States Conference organizers and understand that the March 27-29 conference has been canceled. The State Secretary’s training has also been canceled. We are evaluating each meeting on a case-by-case basis, reviewing the latest information from the CDC, WHO, and other state and local public health departments and are recommending that state organizations consider canceling non-essential upcoming events. Likewise, NRLCA officer travel will be extremely limited. We will notify you as soon as possible regarding specific events and we will continue to monitor the situation daily so that we can make well-informed decisions based upon the latest information.
In this rapidly shifting situation, we wanted to communicate this important update to you as quickly as possible. There is much we do not yet know, and we ask for your patience as we put plans in place and communicate further information.
The following resources from the CDC provide very helpful information:
Coronavirus Disease 2019 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
What Every American and Community Can Do Now to Decrease the Spread of the Coronavirus