Dear NBER Colleagues -
The growing public health concerns associated with the coronavirus
outbreak, and the associated policy reactions such as restrictions on
large gatherings, make planning for the 2020 Summer Institute very
difficult. It is possible that we will have to cancel all in-person
activities, but we will not make that decision until mid-April. A lot
may happen between now and then, and we will hopefully have much more
clarity about the possibility of a summer meeting in a few weeks. In
light of this situation, we have postponed the closing date for Summer
Institute paper submissions until March 31, 2020. If an in-person
Summer Institute is not possible, we may convene some virtual meetings,
although on a reduced scale relative to the traditional conference agenda.
Effective today, most NBER staff members in our Cambridge office
are working remotely until further notice. I am confident that we can
manage core NBER functions in this way, but I hope that you will be
understanding if there are any delays in responding to your questions or
requests, particularly in the next few days as our employees develop
their work-from-home routines.
I appreciate your support in light of the uncertainties that we
currently face, and I hope that you are staying safe and healthy during
this extraordinary time. All best wishes.
Jim Poterba
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Received on Mon Mar 16 2020 - 14:58:36 EDT
