INSPIRE 2020: We are evaluating the Coronavirus situation daily, and will be updating options for INSPIRE 2020 within the next few days. Please stand by for more information.

To address the growing concerns around coronavirus (COVID-19) for the upcoming INSPIRE 2020 conference in Copenhagen, we are developing extraordinary steps for health and safety to address the needs and concerns of participants.  
While it is impossible now to know exactly what the situation will be by the end of May, we are extensively preparing for several possibilities with information that we are updating daily.

We are expanding the ability of participants to attend the conference, addressing both virtual and physical resources.
 
Live Streaming: First, we plan to make a significant investment to offer all participants a live streaming option for reliable and stable virtual online attendance, available for all selections over the three days. This will be offered to presenters as well as participants, as needed.

We will devote time to help presenters optimize their presentations online. Additionally, participants will also have access to recordings of sessions to review after the conference ends, at their leisure.

Fortunately, the conference is taking place in a state-of-the art venue offering the best technologies available for your best experience.

We will be sharing more details about this process in the near future to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to attend the Schema Therapy Event of the Year, either in-person or virtually.
 
Physical Venue: Second, unless circumstances change beyond our control, we plan to hold the conference at the venue in Copenhagen using best industry practices available.

Together with the Tivoli Hotel, the conference venue, we are developing a detailed Emergency Operations Plan for the health and safety of all of our participants and staff that will be employed before the conference, during the conference, and after. We will be updating information regularly from the Danish Health Authority and World Health Organization.
 
As of today, the plan may include the following protocols:
 

• using thermal scanners to measure the temperatures of participants and staff before they can enter the event venue. Participants and staff with temperatures above 38 C/100 F will be escorted to an isolation holding room where medical personnel will interview and potentially quarantine the participants, if necessary. The isolation room will be staffed by trained medical professionals following proper infectious disease protocols

• forbidding anyone to enter the event venue who, within two weeks prior to arriving at the venue, has experienced any flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, or vomiting. We must insist on full compliance to this policy to protect our fellow participants and staff. We strongly advise any participants and staff who have had these symptoms two weeks prior to the event to stay home and seek local healthcare treatment, as necessary

• using extra precautions for participants and staff who have visited currently designated high-risk areas by the World Health Organization two weeks prior to the conference’s start

• reminding participants and staff to regularly check updates on travel restrictions that could potentially restrict their ability to arrive and depart from Copenhagen

• updating participants and staff on a regular basis of any new developments, at least two weeks before the event, one week before, three days before, one day before, and each day of the conference

• encouraging high-risk participants and staff (older adults and participants with underlying health conditions who may be considered at increased risk for severe illness and complications from COVID-19) to consult their healthcare provider about the possibility of attending larger events like INSPIRE 2020 before traveling to Copenhagen and arriving at the venue. We encourage participants in this group to consider using our live streaming option

• modifying our plan as we get closer to the event date as recommended by the Danish Health Authority and the World Health Organization

• cleaning the venue rigorously with appropriate disinfectant agents for multiple surfaces, such as door knobs, lecterns, microphones, escalator handrails, trash receptacles, water stations, elevator bottoms, chairs, registration tables, and bathrooms

• requiring all participants and staff to use sanitizer before entering the event venue, and offering ample sanitizer stations throughout the venue for liberal application

• reminding participants and staff of a no-physical contact policy during the event. Virtual hugs, hellos, and air waves can replace handshakes or literal hugs. Participants and staff will also be reminded to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom, eating, blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing. Additionally, participants and staff will be reminded not to touch their eyes, mouth, or nose, especially with unwashed hands, and to cover a cough with a tissue that is then disposed of, or to cough or sneeze into their elbow

• applying additional safety measures where refreshments are served, including splash and sneeze guards around buffets and careful handling food items. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed in front of serving stations

• including additional qualified staff at the venue to handle the possibility of medical emergencies, with the ability to provide necessary on-site diagnosis, and to oversee medical needs

• tracking the health of participants and staff after the event ends to help prevent the possibility of future transmissions

• allowing ample notice of cancellation and refund dates:
  • Registration: Participants who choose not to use the live streaming option online may cancel their registration by April 15, 2020 to receive a full refund, minus €50, or apply their registration toward a future credit of INSPIRE 2022 for no additional cost. After that date, refunds are not possible, but live streaming will be offered to all participants. We strongly encourage participants to remain enrolled for INSPIRE 2020 to help the society, as we will be investing a large amount of funds towards the live streaming option, and it was already necessary to outlay significant funds of the society to secure the venue
  • Social Events: participants may cancel the GALA Dinner for a full refund if they notify us by April 27, 2020; after that date, no refunds are possible. For all other additional social events, participants must notify us by May 10, 2020 for a full refund; after that date, no refunds are possible

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