[ripe-list] COVID-19 and RIPE NCC-organised Events

Dear all,

First and foremost, I want to assure you that the health and safety of
our community and our staff is at the top of our thinking as we make our
event plans in light of the COVID-19 situation.

Our website contains information on the events we organise and we will
update this page to inform about relevant updates. And we will of course
let the RIPE community and members know of important updates using this
mailing list and the lists of other affected communities:
https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/coronavirus-update

Last week, the decision was made in consultation with the Bahraini
government and local hosts to postpone the MENOG 20 meeting. This
decision was not made lightly, but we feel it was the right decision to
make to ensure everyone's safety. If similar decisions need to be made
for future events, they will be made in consultation with all relevant
parties including the RIPE Chair, local government, hosts, sponsors and
organising teams.

At the moment, all our upcoming events are scheduled to take place as
normal. We understand that this situation could change quickly, and we
may be forced to cancel or postpone a meeting at very short notice
depending on developments in the host country, in the Netherlands or
around the world more generally. And we will not compel organising staff
to travel when there might be a risk to their health or to the health of
staff in our offices. So giving exact timelines or decision deadlines is
difficult to do. There are many considerations with both continuing with
events and with postponing them.

We have set up internal task forces and consulted health experts to look
at issues around COVID-19 generally and, more specifically, at
contingency planning for events such as RIPE 80 should they need to be
postponed.

We do understand the logistical and cost issues at play for people
planning to attend RIPE 80 and other events. We will ensure decisions
are made in as timely a manner as possible to minimise any costs or
disruption to people's plans. We also have a wider social responsiblity
to ensure we do not in any way contribute to the problems that COVID-19
has brought about.

Again, we will make decisions in consultation with relevant parties but
always with the health and safety of staff and community in mind. We
hope we will still be able to run a great RIPE 80 Meeting in May, but we
do ask you to keep in mind that the situation is changing daily and we
are working hard to ensure we are as prepared as possible for any
eventuality.

Kind regards,

Fergal Cunningham
Marketing and Communications Manager
RIPE NCC