The NMA is closely monitoring developments from the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) related to the COVID-19, the novel respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus.
There have been many that have been in contact regarding the upcoming 21st Annual Colloquium in Washington DC, March 27-29th and travel restrictions or cancellation. I want to let you know that at present the Colloquium is planned to convene as scheduled. We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis. We recommend that you personally keep abreast of the latest developments related to what has been labeled by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II as a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States.
Furthermore, to limit any unnecessary risk, we ask that you not attend the Colloquium if:
- You have traveled within 14 days of the meeting from countries assigned Level 3 or Level 2 Travel Health Notices by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or
- You are in a high-risk group due to personal circumstances or health factors.
In the interim, we recommend that all take a measured, common-sense, scientific approach to avoiding any respiratory pathogen such as COVID-19:
- stay home when sick,
- cover coughs and sneezes,
- wash hands often, and
- routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
Below are some helpful links that can be accessed to provide further, more detailed information regarding COVID-19:
WHO – World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/steps-when-sick.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/index.html
John Hopkins University – website that tracks COVID-19:
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Do understand that this an evolving situation so the recommendation is to keep current. We will continue to post updates as indicated.
