Coronavirus and the World Championships

[moonvine]

Yes! The situation is not black and white (i.e. do nothing vs prepare for the apocalypse). The outbreak shouldn't last longer than a few months (based on scientific knowledge and evidenced by the current situation in China) so we need to also plan for what happens after (e.g. economic, mental health repercussions).

New Zealand has 5 cases, no human-to-human transmission, yet the economic impact is already predicted to be massive... If sickness rates increase in the next year it will be due to poverty from increased homelessness.

The St Louis area has had a case, but I could not tell anyone was concerned yesterday - restaurants was so crowded by the time we left there were people waiting outside, and it was just a chain restaurant (Longhorn Steakhouse). Stores flooded, Girl Scouts selling cookies, which I bought to eat myself, not for the skating gods, who have completely abandoned me this season...but the US stock market cratered.

 

[karne]

So, I have been wondering: Is there a reason why the events in Victoria are going ahead without restrictions? Is the situation in Victoria better than elsewhere? Or, are the races too much of a money spinner for Melbourne for them to be cancelled?

I suspect it may be a sunk-costs thing. We are just a few days from the race; Albert Park is all set up; all of the equipment and most of the people have arrived in Melbourne already.

Plus, F1 doesn't generally attract huge overseas crowds from places where the virus has been a big issue. Ferrari and AlphaTauri got out just in time, but generally, we don't get heaps of Tifosi fly in from Italy for it; the crowd is probably 80-90% locals. The view may be that the risk is lower because of the large local crowd, rather than lots of people flying in from risk areas.

I think for Worlds, the issue is that there will be a lot of people flying in from high-risk areas.

Trust me, the only people who want the cars back in Adelaide are the ones who want to make money off them here. The rest of us are trying to get rid of the race that's left!

HISSSSSSSSSSSS! The Adelaide race is one of the most traditional on the calendar! The season always starts in Adelaide.

*

As for Worlds, I have come to the conclusion that a closed-doors Worlds is the most sensible thing to do.

 

[CoyoteChris]

It's mind-boggling to me that we're even talking about whether refunds are possible in the event of cancellation. If Worlds is called off (or if audiences are not allowed to attend), of course refunds should be issued, no question. To not do so would not only be unfair but would further feed into the virus hysteria. Why risk buying tickets or making reservations for anything if you could be throwing your money away with nothing in return?

I understand why vulnerable individuals want to minimize their exposure in these uncertain times, but we're gonna have much bigger problems in the world if everyone is socially isolating themselves and not leaving their homes. People still need to live their lives and support the economy. The US stock market plummeted 2,000 points today. We could be looking at a serious recession that impacts many different industries with far-reaching consequences, long after the coronavirus threat is presumably contained.

Luckily I see many travel/event companies (Expedia, Stubhub, etc.) are trying to encourage customers to keep making plans by offering flexible refund/cancellation policies due to the coronavirus.

This brings up a good point. For an event the size of worlds, would people be willing to pay 10 percent more for their ticket for insurance? Would the promoter be willing to buy insurance and pass the cost along to the fans? With Holland American cruise line, I pay roughly 10 percent for platinum trip insurance from Holland. If my big toe doesnt feel right the day of sailing, I can cancel for 90 percent back. And that is what I am doing for my Next Alaska cruise.
We got through the pandenic of 1918 by doing simple things . Sick? Stay home. Close the theatres...Yes, it was hideous... 50,000,000 dead, but society didnt disinigrate...not after the great depression, not after WWII....The Finns had to cancel...what? The Olympics of 1940 or so? They survived.
If we and Canada follow Italy's path, then Lord help us....but we shall get through this.

 

[sailormoon]

Rika Kihira is already in Canada with her sister. She does not have to worry about a possible entry problem in Canada. Skate Canada said all athletes will be screened for symptoms at the border.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9czNLznp9K/

 

[CoyoteChris]

I will say this about canceling events. The Swiss have been very proactive in this respect and they only have 2 dead with 323 cases...(its hard to like next to Italy and not get some)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_outbreak_in_Switzerland

 

[elektra blue]

no harm can come to you from my country, we are under lock down, our skaters are already in Canada to avoid any issue

 

[Ginask8s]

There is an article in the LA Times indicating that canceling the event has not yet been ruled out. I have tickets and am becoming quite nervous about going.

 

[Harriet]

I will say this about canceling events. The Swiss have been very proactive in this respect and they only have 2 dead with 323 cases...(its hard to like next to Italy and not get some)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_outbreak_in_Switzerland

Its level of proactiveness includes the Association Romande de Patinage cancelling two local skating carnivals in Canton Vaud because it can't guarantee meeting federal guidelines for gatherings of over 150*, and SIS cancelling its junior athlete selection trial days and substituting alternative criteria that have already been signed off on by the Swiss Olympic Committee to comply with federal office of public health directives. You can trust the Swiss to be a) organised and b) thorough.

*Vaud is one of the four cantons with the highest infection rates to date, hence extra levels of caution.

 

[Bcath]

There is an article in the LA Times indicating that canceling the event has not yet been ruled out. I have tickets and am becoming quite nervous about going.

One consideration is that they have the event with no spectators but with live TV coverage for all. Other sport events are taking this approach. Strange, I know but it may be the only reasonable compromise.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

This brings up a good point. For an event the size of worlds, would people be willing to pay 10 percent more for their ticket for insurance? Would the promoter be willing to buy insurance and pass the cost along to the fans?

Surely no promoter would consider an event like this without having insurance? That's just insanity!

 

[storm]

But the short track competition in Lausanne went ahead this past weekend and hockey matches at the lower levels continue to be played. They are making decisions on a case by case basis and life seems to be going on normally. I have flown twice this week and the flights have been full.

 

[satine]

I will definitely be attending unless it gets cancelled. In the event that it is cancelled, I will still be going to Montreal for a week because my flight tickets & airbnb are nonrefundable. I am going to enjoy my vacation regardless of any set of circumstances

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I will definitely be attending unless it gets cancelled. In the event that it is cancelled, I will still be going to Montreal for a week because my flight tickets & airbnb are nonrefundable. I am going to enjoy my vacation regardless of any set of circumstances

That's exactly our plan at the moment.

 

[Elucidus]

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/...treal-menace-annulation-ministre-sante-mccann
Canadian Health Minister said that they will decide it soon on the government level. Tech-comitee ISU representative said that the competition will be done as planned.

 

[Farnaz]

The American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia, March 22-26, was cancelled today, a meeting with more than 12000 attendees from all over the world. My husband would give a talk there and my PhD students would present posters. I am so relieved that it got canceled. And, they are refunding all the attendees and it's a very expensive event, only $800 registration fee. Add to it flights, hotels, food in all of which ACS has a share.

Princeton, NYU, ... are cancelling their classes. Right now, my students are emailing me begging to cancel the class on Friday.

IMO cancelling an athletic event that will take place next year anyways is not a big deal compared to keeping the risk level low

 

[Ladskater]

Here is the English version of the article about the possible cancellation of the World FS in Montreal. Canada is proceeding cautiously with events and whether to cancel or not. It will be disappointing of course, but understandable.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/...kating-world-championships-montreal-1.5491187

 

[moonvine]

The American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia, March 22-26, was cancelled today, a meeting with more than 12000 attendees from all over the world. My husband would give a talk there and my PhD students would present posters. I am so relieved that it got canceled. And, they are refunding all the attendees and it's a very expensive event, only $800 registration fee. Add to it flights, hotels, food in all of which ACS has a share.

Princeton, NYU, ... are cancelling their classes. Right now, my students are emailing me begging to cancel the class on Friday.

IMO cancelling an athletic event that will take place next year anyways is not a big deal compared to keeping the risk level low

Are you cancelling the class? It is interesting that the concern is extending to the colleges. I'm watching a college gymnastics meet from yesterday and the attendance is ok and I haven't heard anything about cancelling gymnastics post season or basketball post season. Then again concern appears to be increasing by the day.

 

[el henry]

I don’t want to speak for Farnaz, but my spousal unit’s students would have begged him to cancel a class on any excuse Universities these days are notoriously risk averse.

I am a woman of a certain age and without other obligations, I’d still go to Worlds in a heartbeat. And expose said spousal unit, in his seventh decade of life, pre existing conditions, blah de blah, to whatever I picked up. I’m more afraid of fracturing my wrist again tripping on the curb. But I guess everyone has their own comfort level....

 

[CoyoteChris]

I don’t want to speak for Farnaz, but my spousal unit’s students would have begged him to cancel a class on any excuse Universities these days are notoriously risk averse.

I am a woman of a certain age and without other obligations, I’d still go to Worlds in a heartbeat. And expose said spousal unit, in his seventh decade of life, pre existing conditions, blah de blah, to whatever I picked up. I’m more afraid of fracturing my wrist again tripping on the curb. But I guess everyone has their own comfort level....

LOL! Yeah, my wife keeps going to the dog club and dog shows and cares not that she will expose and kill the person that mows the lawn....
We humans are a funny race. I risk sudden death every time I ride my motorcycle...I have seen way more people die than I can count or want to going to and from the Experimental Aircraft Ass. fly in, 10,000 aircraft attend every year, or at the Reno National Air races. Its a risk we are willing to take....but for myself. I want to slow down this thing just in case it does go away with the warm moist weather....maybe save someone by not speading it asymtomatically before I die from it with my preexisting conditions. I am socially distanceing myself from my people activities for now and see what happens. I have a friend who is on 4 each immune system suppression drugs.....she is toast if she gets the bug. I can stay away from her...but who else out there who is on these drugs do I NOT know about? If this doesnt go away or worse, mutates to something far worse, WE will be toast. Chris out on the ranch with a year's supply of toilet paper.

 

[moonvine]

I don’t want to speak for Farnaz, but my spousal unit’s students would have begged him to cancel a class on any excuse Universities these days are notoriously risk averse.

I am a woman of a certain age and without other obligations, I’d still go to Worlds in a heartbeat. And expose said spousal unit, in his seventh decade of life, pre existing conditions, blah de blah, to whatever I picked up. I’m more afraid of fracturing my wrist again tripping on the curb. But I guess everyone has their own comfort level....

I have no other obligations and besides not being overly invested in this Worlds with none of my favorites being there (well, ok, PJ, but it's more of a matter of whether he makes the free skate) but reading up on the Seattle Nursing home case where people were dead within an hour of displaying symptoms, for my own immunocompromised, Humira taking self, at this point I don't think I'd go if someone gave me tickets. That doesn't mean they shouldn't hold it of course.