I’m writing to let you know of some Governing Board decisions related to upcoming events. We’ve been watching and waiting for emerging news of COVID-19 disease. Due to very recent developments, we have reconsidered our earlier stance on moving ahead with our regular gatherings.
As you know, the situation has become a pandemic. This means that it is prevalent over the majority of the world (as of yesterday, that’s 114 countries). It also means that we need to take it very seriously. Most people aren’t getting very sick, but the only way to do our part is to follow the advice of the experts. Taking the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is a good way to do that, in our club and in our lives (full recommendations are listed below for your reference).
Accordingly, we have made some hard decisions about our calendar. Effective immediately, we ask that you check the website often to determine whether meetings and events will take place, since we may not know far in advance. Here’s what we’ve decided so far:
- March 14th – the membership meeting will not take place in person. We are hoping to host the meeting virtually (by phone and maybe video). Check the website on Saturday morning for details. We really hope to get quorum by phone – how modern of us!
- March 14th – the St Patrick’s Day party and beer tasting will be rescheduled to another date. Hold on to your beer because it will happen!
- March 29th – it’s hard to say it, but the annual Chuckwagon Dinner and Fundraiser will be delayed until another date. Hang on to your tickets and raffle tickets – we’ll definitely be using them! More information on this will follow as soon as we have it.
- Further events and meetings – we need to be flexible and make our decisions based on the ever-changing situation. Some experts say that we’ll be over the hump in a few months, and some say it’ll take longer. Additionally, some events are not confined to inside spaces and may go on, such as the June Picnic. Checking the website frequently will keep you in the loop.
- When we do resume activities, we’ll count on each of you to be responsible. For example, don’t come to a meeting if you’ve just come back from a cruise - or are caring for a sick family member - until the experts say it’s OK.
During this unpredictable time, the Governing Board fully supports all measures to protect the health and welfare of USS Nokomis crew members. It’s hard to cancel events – especially since we plan so long and diligently for big ones like the Chuckwagon – but it’s the right thing to do for our club and our community. We will miss seeing you this weekend and for the near future, but we believe that following the recommendations of the experts is in our mutual best interest.
Take care of yourselves, and I know we’ll see each other around the galaxy (just not as soon as we expected).
Mary
