[NCUC-DISCUSS] UPDATES from the call with CEO Re: Concerns about Coronavirus (2019-nCOV) and the Cancun Meeting ?
Bruna Martins dos Santos
bruna.mrtns at gmail.com
Wed Feb 19 18:28:05 CET 2020
Hey all,
As mentioned on both NCSG and NCUC lists, yesterday ICANN org hosted a call
to clear up some doubts the community leaders were presenting with regards
to the upcoming meeting.
Therefore, apart from the blog post from Goran, on the measures that are
being taken by ICANN to address general concerns regarding the Cancun
Meeting and possible risks offered by Corona Virus, all community leaders
were invited to join a call yesterday.
Some key points I would like to highlight from this call, are the
following:
- ICANN Board will meet today (Feb 19), to discuss the feasibility of
hosting the meeting. According to the org execs, they will assess the risks
as a group and then decide on hosting it or not. The decision might not be
communicated today, by the end of the call, but they promised to inform us
community leaders as soon as possible.
- Despite some some specificities regarding time zones and participation,
the org has not discarded the idea of hosting a virtual meeting on the
occasion of Cancun being indeed cancelled. The main reason for considering
a virtual meeting is the need for interaction and conclusion of lots of the
policy work.
- Due to this unusual situation, it wont be mandatory for staff to attend
this meeting. And, if the number of staff willing to come is lower than
necessary the chances of cancellation can happen.
- Increased health measures will be adopted, they plan on having extra
medical staff onsite and also screening all attendees at the moment of
their entrance at the venue. If any attendee demonstrates higher levels of
body temperature, they will be escorted to a health center and be checked
for COVID2019.
- As of now, the org is only addressing the upcoming meeting. Malaysia
meeting is indeed a concern, but it will be addressed at a second moment,
as soon as a decision o hosting ICANN67 is reached.
- There is support from community to host the Cancun Meeting, NCSG, RySG,
CCNSO are groups who explicitly demonstrated their support. At the same
time, some companies will not make it mandatory for their staff to attend.
- Lots of hand sanitizers around the venue.
- ICANN will be monitoring the region, alongside with the local host, to
check for any possible confirmed cases in the LAC region. So far there has
been no confirmed COVID2019 cases in the Latin American and Caribbean
region.
That's it for now! If I have further updates I will share asap here.
I understand we received 3 expressions of concern about the meeting, but
I'm interpreting a general consensus about our support for this meeting. Is
it correct ? How does NCUC stand on this ?
Best Regards,
Bruna Santos
NCUC Chair
Em dom, 16 de fev de 2020 16:26, Bruna Martins dos Santos <
bruna.mrtns at gmail.com> escreveu:
> Hey all,
>
> I believe that there was some misunderstanding. And I apologize if from my
> previous emails it might have sounded as if I did not consider this to be
> an important concern, because I do.
>
> Both Stephanie and I mentioned to Goran how much we appreciate the concernsdemonstrated
> so far with the community - from the crisis team assembled exclusively
> for this purpose to these new communications. And I pretend to report back
> from the call with community leaders on Tuesday.
>
> At the same time, cancelling a meeting in such short notice might bring
> huge costs to Org and we will miss one of the few onsite interaction
> opportunities In our issues. Therefore, the only hope here is for this
> virus to have reached its peak just so we can follow up with our calendar -
> reminding you all that next meeting will take place in Asia.
>
> Promise to report back on Tuesday.
>
> Best,
> Bruna Santos
> NCUC Chair
>
> Em dom, 16 de fev de 2020 12:51, Caleb Olumuyiwa Ogundele <
> muyiwacaleb at gmail.com> escreveu:
>
>> I hope we can read this blog from ICANN.
>>
>> The concerns raised are genuine and we may wish to consider them.
>>
>> My general thoughts is that, if no vaccines are produced next week...
>> Which I doubt it's possibility, why risk lives of ICANN volunteers?
>>
>> Aside from that, ICANN has a brand to protect while considering that they
>> might not want to risk the cost of been sued by any affected party.
>>
>> If one single infection is noticed, every attendee is quarantined for two
>> weeks.
>> I'm sure ICANN does not have any of that in the emergency funds for
>> Cancun budget.
>>
>> One thing is certain, a healthy community is very desirable and
>> prevention is cheaper than cure like my doctor will tell me during
>> consultation.
>>
>> Just to back up the cautionary note with data, find below a link that
>> tracks all the cases of coronavirus globally.
>>
>> https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
>> ________________________________
>>
>>
>> https://www.icann.org/news/blog/update-on-icann67-planning-and-covid-19-coronavirus
>>
>>
>> _______________________________
>> The ICANN Board and ICANN org have been closely monitoring COVID-19 since
>> it was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The World Health
>> Organization now considers COVID-19 a global health emergency.
>>
>> As we approach ICANN67 in Cancún, Mexico, we continue to assess the
>> situation because, as we have stated before, the health and well-being of
>> the ICANN community is our highest priority. Today, I asked the ICANN
>> community leaders and representatives to join me on call next week to share
>> information and solicit their input.
>>
>> The message I sent to the community leaders today:
>>
>> Dear Community Leaders and Representatives:
>>
>> Thank you for your prompt responses to my last email enquiring about your
>> Community members’ thoughts regarding travel to Cancun for ICANN67.
>>
>> Many of you have asked for more information about how we are assessing
>> the situation. I’d like to hold a call with you to discuss the matter in
>> detail, and propose that we hold the call this coming Tuesday, 18 February
>> at 17:00 UTC. A calendar invitation will follow shortly.
>>
>> In the meantime, I’d like to share with you what we know about the
>> situation today.
>>
>> ICANN Org has convened a crisis management team to monitor the global
>> situation related to the COVID-19 coronavirus and assess how it may impact
>> the important work of the ICANN community, Board, and Org. To help you
>> prepare for the call on Tuesday, I’d like to share what we know about the
>> situation today.
>>
>> As of 13 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports there are
>> more than 60,000 confirmed cases in 25 countries. Approximately 450 of
>> those cases are outside China.
>> At the time of this writing, there are no confirmed cases anywhere in the
>> LAC region.
>> Mexico’s Ministry of Health is monitoring and testing two suspected
>> cases, one in Mexico City (800 miles from Cancún) and one in Nuevo Leon
>> (900 miles from Cancún). All 12 previously suspected cases in Mexico tested
>> negative and were cleared.
>> The Brazilian Ministry of Health is currently monitoring and testing 11
>> newly suspected cases.
>> The incubation period for the virus is still unknown, and has ranged from
>> five days to 24 days.
>> Once suspected, testing for the virus can take up to 14 days.
>> As a result of the outbreak the GSMA Board has cancelled the Mobile World
>> Congress in Barcelona, Spain; and Cisco Australia has cancelled its Cisco
>> Live event, scheduled for 3-6 March in Melbourne, Australia. (We note that
>> APRICOT2020/APNIC49 in Melbourne has not been cancelled.)
>> As we consider the potential impact for going ahead with ICANN67 as
>> planned, we are closely monitoring a variety of factors, such as:
>>
>> The development of confirmed cases in Cancún.
>> The ability of health authorities in Mexico to effectively mitigate and
>> respond to a case or outbreak. Examples:
>> Clear testing and quarantine protocols, and determination of whether
>> patients can be managed in Cancún or must be transferred elsewhere.
>> Concern over sufficiency of travel restrictions or health screenings for
>> travelers coming from affected countries.
>> ICANN meetings are attended by contractors and participants from more
>> than 150 countries. With cases in at least 25 of those countries, there is
>> a risk of bringing the virus to Cancún and into the ICANN meeting site.
>> The potential a member of the Org presenting COVID-19 symptoms, raising
>> concerns that they may have potentially infected colleagues scheduled to
>> attend ICANN67.
>> The potential of an attendee contracting the virus in Mexico, and
>> inadvertently bringing the virus back to their home country, organization,
>> and family.
>> The risk of a “cruise ship” scenario in which a suspected or confirmed
>> case is identified during the meeting, necessitating the mass-quarantine of
>> all attendees and locals.
>> Discrimination or harassment against any attendee perceived to come from
>> affected countries or regions (i.e., racial or ethnic stereotyping).
>> I understand that this is short notice for a call. If you cannot make it
>> to the call, I hope that you will forward the call information to your
>> vice-chair or your designee.
>>
>> Thank you for your understanding. I look forward to our discussion and
>> your feedback, which will enable ICANN org to make the best decision we
>> possibly can, in the collective interests of our Board, staff, and
>> community.
>>
>> Göran Marby
>>
>> President & CEO ICANN
>>
>> I thank the community leaders and representatives in advance for this
>> discussion, and we will continue to provide updates as more information
>> becomes available.
>>
>>
>>
>> Caleb Ogundele
>>
>> Caleb Ogundele
>>
>> ________________
>>
>> Sent with thumbs from a small screen mobile device.
>>
>> Pelase exsuce typos adn errosr.
>>
>> On Sun, Feb 16, 2020, 4:47 PM Benjamin Akinmoyeje <benakin at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Bruna,
>>> The pandemic is a major concern for anyone I believe, Africa was
>>> enjoying a clean run until today, as a case has been reported confirmed.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/egypt-confirms-coronavirus-case-africa-200214190840134.html
>>>
>>>
>>> Some weeks, there was a rumour of a case in the coast in Namibia, but it
>>> was quickly ruled out.
>>>
>>> However, I have been following the incidents from this map.
>>>
>>> https://hgis.uw.edu/virus/?fbclid=IwAR3_gyAxk6TNvjEcfGpgBDRTeosb06KQRduD1hloZ1NOD8r88IjIOmdazdc
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hopefully, ICANN considers what is best for everyone I make an objective
>>> decision. However, it is important to note that China has continued to
>>> report lower new cases in the last 3 days if this continues in the near
>>> future. Humanity may have conquered another threat yet again.
>>>
>>> Kind regards,
>>> Benjamin
>>>
>>> On Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 6:41 PM Bruna Martins dos Santos <
>>> bruna.mrtns at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hey Yusif,
>>>>
>>>> As mentioned above, asking for such measure can be a truly exclusionary
>>>> measure. The numbers of countries with confirmed cases right now is
>>>> geographically spread so that would mean in a travel ban beyond Cinese
>>>> territory. Besides that, WHOs recommendations
>>>> <https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses> for
>>>> individuals during these times include "regular hand washing, covering
>>>> mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and
>>>> eggs".
>>>>
>>>> On an information sharing note, it is important to mention that ICANN issued
>>>> a statement in Jan 31st mentioning that they advised their staff on
>>>> reducing the number of unnecessary travel and even introducing an unilateral
>>>> travel ban on all flights to and from China (inclusive of Hong Kong and
>>>> Macau) that applies to all org staff.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>> Bruna Santos
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Le ven. 14 févr. 2020 à 13:29, Stephanie Perrin <
>>>> stephanie.perrin at mail.utoronto.ca> a écrit :
>>>>
>>>>> There are a lot of affected countries now, some with very few cases.
>>>>> This action might be perceived to be biased, unless you banned every
>>>>> country that had a case, which covers a lot of territory.
>>>>>
>>>>> Stephanie Perrin
>>>>> On 2020-02-14 10:54 a.m., AMADU YUSIF wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi Bruna,
>>>>> My only concern is that is it possible to prevent members from the
>>>>> affected countries to attend the meeting?
>>>>> This is because some members will be afraid even though there may be
>>>>> screening at the Airports but still some people will be uncomfortable to
>>>>> attend the meeting.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you
>>>>> Yusif
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ESent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -------- Original message --------
>>>>> From: Bruna Martins dos Santos <bruna.mrtns at gmail.com>
>>>>> <bruna.mrtns at gmail.com>
>>>>> Date: 14/02/2020 3:08 p.m. (GMT+00:00)
>>>>> To: NCUC Discuss <ncuc-discuss at lists.ncuc.org>
>>>>> <ncuc-discuss at lists.ncuc.org>
>>>>> Subject: [NCUC-DISCUSS] Concerns about Coronavirus (2019-nCOV) and the
>>>>> Cancun Meeting ?
>>>>>
>>>>> Dear NCUC,
>>>>>
>>>>> You might have already seen news about the cancellation of the Mobile
>>>>> World Congress and some other parts of the IG community concerns with
>>>>> regards to the Corona Virus and upcoming events. Yesterday ICANN CEO sent
>>>>> us the email below asking for the community leaders to check with their SOs
>>>>> and ACs whether there is any concerns with the upcoming ICANN meeting, to
>>>>> be held in cancun.
>>>>>
>>>>> Therefore, I would like to ask you all how is NCUC on that matter. Do
>>>>> we feel like we should support the decision for ICANN to keep its plans of
>>>>> organizing the Cancun meeting in 5/4 weeks? Are there any travel concerns ?
>>>>>
>>>>> Highly appreciate any feedbacks you can provide as we need to send our
>>>>> Constituency's opinion to the CEO.
>>>>>
>>>>> best regards,
>>>>> Bruna Santos
>>>>> NCUC Chair
>>>>>
>>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>>>>> De : Goran Marby <goran.marby at icann.org>
>>>>> Date: jeu. 13 févr. 2020 à 13:53
>>>>> Subject: [ICANN Community Leaders] ICANN67 Cancun - Coronavirus
>>>>> (2019-nCOV)
>>>>> To: so-ac-sg-cleaders at icann.org <so-ac-sg-cleaders at icann.org>
>>>>> Cc: Cassia Oliveira <cassia.oliveira at icann.org>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Cassia Oliveira on behalf of Goran Marby
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Dear Community Leaders:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> As you know, ICANN org is actively monitoring developments worldwide
>>>>> concerning the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov). We take the health and safety
>>>>> of our staff, Board and community members very seriously and wish to do the
>>>>> right thing to continue to ensure that everyone remains safe and informed.
>>>>> In this regard, you may have heard that some international conference
>>>>> organizers are, like ICANN, monitoring and evaluating the locations and
>>>>> timings of their events. Earlier today, the GSM Association (GSMA)
>>>>> announced that it was canceling the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that had
>>>>> been scheduled to take place in Barcelona from 24-27 February 2020.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> In light of these developments, I write now to ask whether you have
>>>>> heard any concerns from amongst your members or other community members
>>>>> about traveling to Cancun for ICANN67. While we have no immediate plans to
>>>>> cancel or reschedule the Cancun meeting, it will be very helpful to hear
>>>>> the community's feedback so that we can take it into account in our
>>>>> planning. As such, please let me or David Olive know if you or your group
>>>>> have information or concerns you would like to share. In the meantime,
>>>>> please refer to this blog post by ICANN org's Vice-President for Security
>>>>> Operations for information on how ICANN org is handling this important
>>>>> matter:
>>>>> https://www.icann.org/news/blog/an-update-on-the-coronavirus-and-its-impact-on-icann.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>
>>>>> Göran Marby
>>>>> President & CEO ICANN
>>>>> +1(310) 578 8690
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Cássia Oliveira
>>>>> Sr. Manager, Office of the President & CEO
>>>>> cassia.oliveira at icann.org
>>>>> +1(310) 578 8656
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --> _______________________________________________
>>>>> SO-AC-SG-CLeaders mailing list
>>>>> SO-AC-SG-CLeaders at icann.org
>>>>> https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/so-ac-sg-cleaders
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of
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>>>>> accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (
>>>>> https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of
>>>>> Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the
>>>>> Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration,
>>>>> including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling
>>>>> delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> *Bruna Martins dos Santos *
>>>>>
>>>>> Skype ID: bruna.martinsantos
>>>>> @boomartins
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Ncuc-discuss mailing listNcuc-discuss at lists.ncuc.orghttps://lists.ncuc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ncuc-discuss
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Ncuc-discuss mailing list
>>>>> Ncuc-discuss at lists.ncuc.org
>>>>> https://lists.ncuc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ncuc-discuss
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> *Bruna Martins dos Santos *
>>>>
>>>> Skype ID: bruna.martinsantos
>>>> @boomartins
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Ncuc-discuss mailing list
>>>> Ncuc-discuss at lists.ncuc.org
>>>> https://lists.ncuc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ncuc-discuss
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Ncuc-discuss mailing list
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>>> https://lists.ncuc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ncuc-discuss
>>>
>>
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