The American Council on Education (ACE) said on Monday it is canceling its annual meeting, set for March 14-16 this year in San Diego, due to the threat posed by the novel coronavirus. However, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, or NADOHE, is still planning to go ahead with its March 11-14 annual meeting, but with “heightened levels of cleanliness” at the event venue in San Diego.
These developments come even as more and more universities announce they are closing and/or moving classes online amid fears of a global pandemic.
The coronavirus (COVID-19), which began in China, has now infected at least 113,575 people around the world and 604 people in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins’ research collective, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering. As of Monday evening, a total of 3,996 people have died worldwide from COVID-19. In the U.S., 22 coronavirus fatalities have been reported. California, Florida, New York, Maryland, Oregon and Washington state have all declared an emergency. Observers expect more states to follow suit.
However, NADOHE said in an email statement last week, that because there are “no restrictions to large-scale gatherings in San Diego County,” it is “committed” to holding the conference as planned.
In the statement attributed to Dr. Archie Ervin, NADOHE’s president, NADOHE also plans to go ahead with its annual event because it has to balance its members’ interests with the financial responsibility of maintaining the “well being” of its organization.
“Therefore, in light of NADOHE’s contractual obligations and liabilities, and the membership benefits from the national annual conference, and in light of the fact that there are no restrictions to large-scale gatherings in San Diego County due to COVID-19, we are committed to holding the conference as planned this coming week,” Ervin’s statement said.
On its website, NADOHE said the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) emphasizes that standard infection control measures are the best way to avoid any respiratory disease, including COVID-19. Therefore, it’s ensuring that extra precautions are taken during the event.
