IHRSA said it is “carefully monitoring” developments related to the coronavirus outbreak but plans to hold the IHRSA 2020 fitness show that runs from March 18 to 21 in San Diego, CA.
IHRSA said that according to the San Diego County Government Office, there have been no confirmed cases in San Diego. The two people treated for Covid-19 there were repatriated from Wuhan, China to San Diego hospitals. The county is monitoring 141 people. A total of 390 people have been monitored, and 249 have completed their monitoring period.
IHRSA said in its statement, “IHRSA is carefully monitoring developments related to the coronavirus and will adhere to any policies put forth by the United States federal government. IHRSA is, therefore, following the Presidential Proclamation on travel restrictions. IHRSA will not be implementing any further restrictions beyond the Presidential Proclamation.
“IHRSA executive staff are meeting daily and will continue to closely review all guidance from global, federal, and local health authorities to implement what is needed for the good of our show and the good of our industry.
“IHRSA is committed to ensuring our response during this challenging time is responsibly based in facts, not driven by fear.”
The statement included a number of links for information on coronavirus. The organization also said it is working with hotel venues and the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) on safety measures, including having “plentiful hand sanitizing stations” at the event.
The SDCC has increased measures to prevent respiratory infections (like colds, flu, or coronavirus), including increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces such as door handles and handrails. Signage will also be posted to remind attendees of common hygiene precautions. IHRSA also said that during the event, it will encourage a no-contact policy such as no handshakes, hugs or kisses.
Regarding show participation, IHRSA said, “Our thoughts are with all the members of our community who are affected by the coronavirus and cannot join us this year due to the Presidential Travel ban. We are in contact with the exhibitors and attendees who are impacted by travel restrictions and are working with them on options in the absence of being able to attend in 2020. With the exception of these extraordinary cases, we are not seeing any unusual cancellations from exhibitors. Likewise, our attendee registrations continue to pace with the normal patterns we see year-over-year.”
Photo courtesy IHRSA
