Dear Research Colleagues -
The global health situation involving the novel coronavirus has
evolved since I wrote last week. Many universities have placed
restrictions on faculty travel and on interaction with visitors from
outside the United States. Many program directors and meeting
organizers have received questions about plans for upcoming meetings,
along with indications that invitees may be unable to participate.
Boston has a cluster of presumed coronavirus cases, most of which
emanate from a meeting hosted here by a biotech firm about ten days ago.
In light of these developments, I have concluded that the best
course of action is to cancel all NBER program and working group
meetings this spring. I recognize that this decision comes at a real
cost in foregone opportunities to discuss new research findings and to
initiate new collaborative projects, but the public health risks raised
by the coronavirus outbreak must be our overriding concern.
NBER can support virtual meetings, and if some meeting organizers
decide to experiment with a virtual substitute for the scheduled
in-person meeting, our conference team will provide details at a later
date.
If you have booked travel to any upcoming meetings on your own,
rather than through the NBER's travel agency, please seek refunds where
possible. The NBER is prepared to cover the cost of cancellation or
rebooking fees; please contact Carl Beck (cbeck_at_nber.org) for further
assistance.
There are several conferences on the NBER calendar this spring that
are neither program nor working group meetings. I will work with the
organizers in each case to develop a meeting-specific plan. For small
gatherings, we will make every effort to proceed with a virtual
meeting. For larger meetings, we will explore rescheduling the meeting
for a later date. If you have been invited to one of these meetings,
please do not make any travel plans until you receive further
information from the NBER conference team.
I know that these cancellations are part of a broader pattern of
disruption, and I appreciate your understanding of the basis for this
taking this substantial step. I wish you all the best at this unsettling
time.
Jim Poterba
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Received on Mon Mar 09 2020 - 09:32:58 EDT
