Re: [107all] Update on IETF 107 Vancouver and COVID-19

On Wed, Mar 4, 2020 at 6:50 PM Robert Raszuk <robert@raszuk.net> wrote:

> All,
>
> > We are aware that more companies have imposed travel restrictions and in
> some cases
> > those are dependent on who else will be attending the conference.
>
> As it has already started to happen today for BESS WG it only takes two
> chairs to work for company which imposed travel policy not to be able to
> travel to run the WG meeting. if they can not travel the WG meeting is
> cancelled.
>

Simply because the chairs cannot make it does not automatically mean that
the WG meeting is cancelled -- WGs chairs can ask the WG secretary, or
appoint a temporary secretary or just ask an in-person participant to do
the physical onsite things, like bluesheets, pushing the big red button,
etc.

W

>
> I quite do not understand how IETF director(s) keep the event ON in such
> situation.
>
> And what is worse - some meetings may be cancelled last minute or chairs
> may be not able to travel last minute as well.
>
> In what light does this put potential attendees ?
>
> Many thx,
> Robert.
>
>
>
>
>> On 3/4/20, 11:50 AM, "107all on behalf of IETF Executive Director" <
>> 107all-bounces@ietf.org on behalf of exec-director@ietf.org> wrote:
>>
>>     This is a further update on IETF 107 Vancouver and the ongoing
>> situation with COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
>>
>>     It is still our intention to go ahead with IETF 107 Vancouver as the
>> public health advice remains that we do not need to cancel conferences in
>> Vancouver or avoid travel to Vancouver.  The Public Health Agency of Canada
>> (PHAC) continues to classify the risk of infection in Canada as low [1] and
>> the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to recommend against travel
>> restrictions [2].  As shared earlier, special measures are being put into
>> place for IETF 107 in Vancouver following public health recommendations for
>> meetings of this nature [3].
>>
>>     We continue to monitor the situation and will respond quickly if the
>> public health advice changes.  While it is clear that the situation is
>> deteriorating, the public health advice from the WHO, which is very
>> consistent and evidence-based, is that local containment of outbreaks is
>> both feasible and demonstrated to work.  To hear more about the
>> evidence-based guidance being provided by the WHO we recommend watching a
>> WHO press briefing [4] or reading their daily situation reports [5].
>>
>>     We are aware that more companies have imposed travel restrictions and
>> in some cases those are dependent on who else will be attending the
>> conference.  However, we will not be imposing travel restrictions on IETF
>> participants from specific countries or regions as it is for the Canadian
>> government to decide who can enter their country.
>>
>>     The current PHAC advisory page for visitors [6] is that those
>> arriving from Hubei province of China or from Iran should self-isolate for
>> 14 days on arrival and monitor their health.  That advisory may be updated
>> at any time and so we advise anyone travelling from a country with an
>> infection cluster to check that page before travel.
>>
>>     We continue to receive new registrations every day but those are now
>> being offset by cancellations and the number of registered in-person
>> participants is hovering at around 625 [7] with over 200 registered remote
>> participants.  The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) and IETF
>> Administration LLC continue to monitor the situation and the IESG is
>> currently seeking input from working group and research group chairs to
>> understand the extent of expected session cancellations.
>>
>>     If we are required to cancel then the IESG is considering options for
>> virtual meeting support, which it will report on in due course.
>>
>>     Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or
>> comments.
>>
>>     [1]
>> https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html
>>     [2]
>> https://www.who.int/ith/2019-nCoV_advice_for_international_traffic-rev/en/
>>     [2] https://www.ietf.org/how/meetings/107/ietf107-health-measures/
>>     [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAo9Nooi69E (about 55 minutes in)
>>     [4]
>> https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/
>>     [5]
>> https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html
>>     [6] https://www.ietf.org/registration/ietf107/attendance.py
>>
>>     --
>>     Jay Daley
>>     IETF Executive Director
>>     exec-director@ietf.org
>>
>>     --
>>     107all mailing list
>>     107all@ietf.org
>>     https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/107all
>>
>>
>>

-- 
I don't think the execution is relevant when it was obviously a bad idea in
the first place.
This is like putting rabid weasels in your pants, and later expressing
regret at having chosen those particular rabid weasels and that pair of
pants.
   ---maf