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swimtothemoon
Hmm the SXSW conference and festival was cancelled on relatively short notice.
It was due to begin a week from now. Sounds like the city, in this case being
Austin, must declare a disaster or “state of emergency” prior to the cancellation.
From what I read, from others who have posted above, this procedure is important
for insurance reasons. In terms of the Stones concerts across the country this may
indicate that any postponements or cancellations would be up to each city and
possibly not giving more than a week for notice.

If this is the case than it’s not good news for those of us traveling to several
shows. Hotel reservations can be cancelled. However air reservations usually can not be cancelled, without a fee, unless you purchase cancellation insurance.

American Airlines sent an email saying they are waiving travel fees for the year I believe. No change fees. I expect others will follow. That is probably to encourage more bookings.

Lots of airlines are introducing flexible booking conditions for all kinds of tickets but some airlines only applying this to new bookings and yes it is a sales tactic as they are losing fortunes.
There will be lots of amazing travel deals to be had this year.Yesterday there were €450 Europe to South America business class returns available.

Nate

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kv2915

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swimtothemoon
Hmm the SXSW conference and festival was cancelled on relatively short notice.
It was due to begin a week from now. Sounds like the city, in this case being
Austin, must declare a disaster or “state of emergency” prior to the cancellation.
From what I read, from others who have posted above, this procedure is important
for insurance reasons. In terms of the Stones concerts across the country this may
indicate that any postponements or cancellations would be up to each city and
possibly not giving more than a week for notice.

If this is the case than it’s not good news for those of us traveling to several
shows. Hotel reservations can be cancelled. However air reservations usually can not be cancelled, without a fee, unless you purchase cancellation insurance.

American Airlines sent an email saying they are waiving travel fees for the year I believe. No change fees. I expect others will follow. That is probably to encourage more bookings.

Only for booking made (thus far)in March. Several airlines have announced this

Given the context and the epidemic that will accelerate in the USA I think the Tour will be postponed or canceled.

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

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kv2915

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swimtothemoon
Hmm the SXSW conference and festival was cancelled on relatively short notice.
It was due to begin a week from now. Sounds like the city, in this case being
Austin, must declare a disaster or “state of emergency” prior to the cancellation.
From what I read, from others who have posted above, this procedure is important
for insurance reasons. In terms of the Stones concerts across the country this may
indicate that any postponements or cancellations would be up to each city and
possibly not giving more than a week for notice.

If this is the case than it’s not good news for those of us traveling to several
shows. Hotel reservations can be cancelled. However air reservations usually can not be cancelled, without a fee, unless you purchase cancellation insurance.

American Airlines sent an email saying they are waiving travel fees for the year I believe. No change fees. I expect others will follow. That is probably to encourage more bookings.

Good news about American Airlines waving fees. I assume this means cancellation fees.

I just saw on the news that it is expected to peak in late April in the United States

Due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the IIHF Council has agreed today to cancel the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Canada, following a recommendation by public health experts.
The decision to cancel the 2020 IIHF Women’s World Championship does not influence the planning of the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, which remains on schedule (May in Switzerland).
Source: IIHF

New York's governor just declared a state of emergency as the amount of cases rises. "There is no need to cancel large gatherings across the board at this point", Cuomo said, "although that may have to happen in Rockland and Westchester counties".

If this tour is going to be cancelled, I hope they cancel SOONER rather than later. There is indeed a lot of real anxiety in the USA over the coronavirus and every day there are hundreds of more cases. I sure do NOT want to be on an airplane in the middle of this outbreak. I also don't want to be staying at a hotel, no matter how great their reputation for cleanliness, and sleeping in a strange bed...on clean sheets...maybe NOT...and the Stones are ALL in their 70's...surrounded by thousands of people every day on tour. Ticket sales are slow because people are waiting to see if this virus is going to turn into a pandemic. I'm even thinking of selling my awesome A5 section seat for the Cleveland show. I think Mick might be the voice of reason...just my point of view. Better safe than sorry.

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powerage78
Given the context and the epidemic that will accelerate in the USA I think the Tour will be postponed or canceled.

I think the panic will be over by then.

Baseball season starts in 3 weeks and crowds are coming daily to games in Florida. Most of the people who get the virus are told to stay home and they recover. I think things will be OK and the tour will go on. Just my opinion

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jumpontopofmebaby
I just saw on the news that it is expected to peak in late April in the United States

An epidemiologist who was on CNN said that is just wishful thinking.

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OneHourPhoto

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daspyknows

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OneHourPhoto

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swimtothemoon
Hmm the SXSW conference and festival was cancelled on relatively short notice.
It was due to begin a week from now. Sounds like the city, in this case being
Austin, must declare a disaster or “state of emergency” prior to the cancellation.
From what I read, from others who have posted above, this procedure is important
for insurance reasons. In terms of the Stones concerts across the country this may
indicate that any postponements or cancellations would be up to each city and
possibly not giving more than a week for notice.

If this is the case than it’s not good news for those of us traveling to several
shows. Hotel reservations can be cancelled. However air reservations usually can not be cancelled, without a fee, unless you purchase cancellation insurance.

Apples vs Anvils

SXSW is a 2 week event attracting 400,000 people from all over the world which brings in 400million dollars with multiple events each day all over Austin

A single concert is the tinest of a tiny blip on the radar attended by 90%-95% locals that will sleeping in their own bed after the show. With minimal impact. A city is not going to care to declare a State of Emergency in order to cancel a concert.

Really? SF mayor calling for that right now.

Calling for what?

SF declared a State of Emergency over a week ago and the Warriors has played home in front of a crowd and will do so again in a few hours.

[www.sfsymphony.org]


News Releases
The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed
San Francisco Department of Public Health Announces Aggressive Recommendations to Reduce the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Friday, March 06, 2020
With two confirmed cases that indicate community spread, the time is now to take action to protect vulnerable populations and the public at large.
San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management today announced aggressive new recommendations for San Francisco to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community. Dr. Grant Colfax will be available to speak with press at 5:00 p.m. at the Department of Public Health, 101 Grove Street, Room 220.

The City is taking swift action upon the confirmation yesterday of two COVID-19 cases among San Francisco residents that indicated community spread of the virus. Today’s recommendations for social distancing are intended to disrupt the spread of the virus and protect community health. These are systemic as well as individual changes that will make a difference in people’s lives. Although the recommendations will cause inconvenience, they are necessary and worthwhile to reduce the spread of the virus and interrupt its transmission from person to person.

“We have been preparing for this,” said Mayor Breed. “These recommendations are informed by the best public health information available and guided by experts in our own health department. They mirror the actions being taken in many other municipalities and are informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. These are important steps to protect our public health and are concrete things all of us can do to keep our community safe.”

“Keeping the public safe and healthy is our most important responsibility,” said Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee. “We must continue protect our seniors and other members of our vulnerable communities who are most at risk of being seriously harmed by this disease. Each of us must do our part to support and follow these recommendations so we can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

“As a public official who has been through a number of public health emergencies in the past, I am fully supportive of the Mayor and public health officials in taking the necessary precautions to reduce transmissions of COVID-19,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin. “While many may be concerned about the immediate impacts this may have on our local economy and our daily lives, taking these bold precautions now will pay off in the long term.”

City agencies including the Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Human Resources, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Human Services Agency and our partners at the San Francisco Unified School District are planning to start implementing these recommendations immediately.

We expect these measures to be in place for an initial period of two weeks, and we will continuously assess their impact to determine if they need to be adjusted. As the City prioritizes public health, we also acknowledge this will have economic and workforce impacts, particularly for smaller businesses, and the City will continue to work with state and federal partners to identify solutions to address those impacts.

Mayor Breed declared a local emergency on February 25th to boost San Francisco’s preparedness efforts. Steps taken since then include expanding the Emergency Operations Center and activating dozens of city Disaster Service Workers, increasing community outreach and public information, expanding outreach to vulnerable populations and the organizations that care for them, and starting testing for COVID-19 at the San Francisco Department of Public Health lab. It was that lab that confirmed the first two positive cases with a one-day turnaround time, a vast improvement from the reporting time from the CDC lab. This allowed us to take action more rapidly to protect public health.

Today’s recommendations for social distancing have a goal of reducing the occasions when large numbers of people come together and potentially are exposed to the virus that is circulating in our community. The recommendations protect the health of vulnerable populations, and ensure that essential public services, such as schools and transportation, are taking steps to protect the public.

“The virus needs people to spread. It jumps from person to person, so by reducing the opportunity for that to happen, we can effectively slow the spread,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health. “Our chief concern is for vulnerable populations who are most at risk of getting very sick, or dying, if they get COVID-19. That is why we are recommending that people over 60, or with certain underlying health conditions, stay home as much as possible. For the general public, reducing the opportunity for exposure to the virus is the top priority. That means cutting back on the time you spend in groups and washing your hands consistently. Together, San Franciscans can unite in this effort and decrease the impact COVID-19 has on our community.”

“Protecting the health and safety of San Franciscans is our most important responsibility, and cancelling large gatherings will reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable in our community. Seniors and people with chronic illness and underlying medical conditions are protected when normally healthy people are not contributing to the spread of the virus,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.

Today’s recommendations will cause changes in behavior for systems and individuals. They are meant to disrupt normal social behavior, because the virus thrives under normal circumstances. Functions that are essential to an individual or their family, such as getting food, traveling to work, or providing for a sick family member, can be continued. This is an evolving situation and these recommendations are expected to change.

PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS AS OF MARCH 6

Vulnerable Populations: Limit Outings
Vulnerable populations include people who are:
60 years old and older.
People with certain health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease and weakened immune systems.
For vulnerable populations, don’t go to gatherings (of about 50 people or more) unless it is essential. If you can telecommute, you should. Avoid people who are sick.
Workplace and Businesses: Minimize Exposure
Suspend nonessential employee travel.
Minimize the number of employees working within arm’s length of one another, including minimizing or canceling large in-person meetings and conferences.
Urge employees to stay home when they are sick and maximize flexibility in sick leave benefits.
Do not require a doctor’s note for employees who are sick.
Consider use of telecommuting options.
Some people need to be at work to provide essential services of great benefit to the community. They can take steps in their workplace to minimize risk.
Large Gatherings: Cancel Non-essential Events
Recommend cancelling or postponing large gatherings, such as concerts, sporting events, conventions or large community events.
Do not attend any events or gatherings if sick.
For events that aren’t cancelled, we recommend:
Having hand washing capabilities, hand sanitizers and tissues available.
Frequently cleaning high touch surface areas like counter tops and hand rails.
Finding ways to create physical space to minimize close contact as much as possible.
Schools: Safety First
If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 at a school, DPH will work with the school and the district to determine the best measures including potential school closure.
Do not go to school if sick.
If you have a child with chronic health conditions, consult your doctor about school attendance.
Equip all schools and classrooms with hand sanitizers and tissues.
Recommend rescheduling or cancelling medium to large events that are not essential.
Explore remote teaching and online options to continue learning.
Schools should develop a plan for citywide school closures, and families should prepare for potential closures.
Transit: Cleaning and Protection
Increase cleaning of vehicles and high touch surface areas.
Provide hand washing/hand sanitizers and tissues in stations and on vehicles.
Health Care Settings: Avoid as possible, protect the vulnerable
Long term care facilities must have a COVID-19 plan in accordance with DPH guidelines.
Long term care facilities must screen all staff and visitors for illness and turn away those with symptoms.
The general public should avoid going to medical settings such as hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, even if you are not ill.
If you are ill, call your health care provider ahead of time, and you may be able to be served by phone.
Do not visit emergency rooms unless it is essential.
Everyone: Do your part
The best way for all San Franciscans to reduce their risk of getting sick, as with seasonal colds or the flu, still applies to prevent COVID-19:

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Cover your cough or sneeze.
Stay home if you are sick.
Avoid touching your face.
Try alternatives to shaking hands, like an elbow bump or wave.
If you have recently returned from a country, state or region with ongoing COVID-19 infections, monitor your health and follow the instructions of public health officials.
There is no recommendation to wear masks at this time to prevent yourself from getting sick.
You can also prepare for the possible disruption caused by an outbreak. Preparedness actions include:

Prepare to work from home if that is possible for your job, and your employer.
Make sure you have a supply of all essential medications for your family.
Prepare a child care plan if you or a care giver are sick.
Make arrangements about how your family will manage a school closure.
Plan for how you can care for a sick family member without getting sick yourself.
Take care of each other and check in by phone with friends, family and neighbors that are vulnerable to serious illness or death if they get COVID-19.
Keep common spaces clean to help maintain a healthy environment for you and others. Frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned regularly with disinfecting sprays, wipes or common household cleaning products.
Keep up to date at www.sfdph.org, by calling 311, and by signing up for the City’s new alert service for official updates: text COVID19SF to 888-777.

###




--------------------------------------------------
CONCERTS CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS
Dear Friends and Patrons of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale,

As we communicated to you here, the current situation surrounding COVID-19 is ongoing and ever-changing, and we have been constantly and carefully reviewing the very latest information from the Center for Disease Control and the various public health departments across the Bay Area. Yesterday, the mayor of San Francisco London Breed, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Department of Emergency Management announced new recommendations for San Francisco to prevent the spread of COVID-19. By order of the Mayor, all events at the War Memorial (including Herbst Theatre and our performance) have been cancelled for the next two weeks.

Furthermore, Stanford University—along with all major universities in the area—has banned large public gatherings, which caused our performance at Bing Concert Hall next week to be cancelled and relocated to First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto. After the move to the new venue, we received word from Santa Clara County (the county in which Palo Alto resides) yesterday that they had issued the same recommendation, urging groups to cancel all large public gatherings.

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daspyknows

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jumpontopofmebaby
I just saw on the news that it is expected to peak in late April in the United States

An epidemiologist who was on CNN said that is just wishful thinking.

Man I was one of those early on who would have said there is no way this affects the tour. Now I feel like it would for sure

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daspyknows
Mayor London N. Breed ... Friday, March 06, 2020 ... the time is now to take action to protect vulnerable populations and the public at large.

Good job!

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Rokyfan

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powerage78
Given the context and the epidemic that will accelerate in the USA I think the Tour will be postponed or canceled.

I think the panic will be over by then.

Baseball season starts in 3 weeks and crowds are coming daily to games in Florida. Most of the people who get the virus are told to stay home and they recover. I think things will be OK and the tour will go on. Just my opinion

I also think the panic is over by then. I am getting tired of all the corona-news. It’s extremely hyped by the media. Tour will go on. Stones, never stop!

Postponing would become an issue with the NFL schedules with preseason starting in August.

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mnewman505
Postponing would become an issue with the NFL schedules with preseason starting in August.

Remember not too long ago, in 2019, when it all worked out just fine?

Let’s hope that this doesn’t go the way in the states that it is in Italy because they are about to place 16 million people in enforced quarantine.

Nate

And thats one of the reasons we are considering not travelling from New Zealand for this tour. As a business owner we can afford to be away 2 weeks to attend 4 shows, but not for a couple of months in a locked down city.
Really hope they postpone sooner rather than later.

You cannot even buy hand sanitizer in San Francisco. It is completely sold out everywhere. Almost no one on the cruise ship has been tested because testing kits haven’t been provided. It is a joke how this is being handled at the federal level

Can't imagine this tour will go ahead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-03-08 07:29 by rbp.

In response to Mickschix’s question:

Yes if they postpone and you can not make the new date then you should be entitled to a full refund - like the 2019 postponement. We are still two
months from the first show so hopefully the outlook improves. However,
right now things do seem to be getting worse. We can not effect or change
what may ultimately happen with the Stones tour but we can effect and take care of our own health and be sure our friends and families are informed and doing the same.

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sarahunwin
You cannot even buy hand sanitizer in San Francisco. It is completely sold out everywhere. Almost no one on the cruise ship has been tested because testing kits haven’t been provided. It is a joke how this is being handled at the federal level

I went to a Walmart today and there was no toilet paper, bleach, hand sanitizer, plastic gloves, almost out of water and lines that you would have thought stuff was free. Went to another warehouse store and one pack of gloves, no hand sanitizer and a limit of 3 gallons of water. We are seeing the collapse of western civilization.

We have a client (biotech) that has locked down office and requiring anyone who travels outside of US to self quarantine for 14 days. Consultants no longer allowed on premise. My understanding is Google has instituted same procedures.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-03-08 08:25 by daspyknows.

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MileHigh
The full resources of the US Federal Government have been made available to combat this health problem. Sometimes you just can't win.

huh? how come only 2,000 Americans have been tested by the US Federal Government?

Airline tickets to China are really cheap now. I was thinking about going for a vacation there but for some reason nobody else wants to join me.

Please do NOT post political statements here. It will just lead to a lot of bad comments and fights here, and I would have to delete them all.

Bjornulf

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daspyknows

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MileHigh
The full resources of the US Federal Government have been made available to combat this health problem. Sometimes you just can't win.

huh? how come only 2,000 Americans have been tested by the US Federal Government?

By 13 January – three days after the gene sequence was published – a reliable test was available, developed by scientists at the department of virology at Berlin’s Charité university hospital with help from experts in Rotterdam, London and Hong Kong.


This is a list of questions:

Why did the CDC decide they needed to come up with "their own" rather than use the reliable test already developed? (An effort that took an additional 3 weeks.) What process/reasoning, went into this disastrous decision?

What failures in process allowed the "performance issues" to go undetected until AFTER they began distributing their test around Feb 3? (Problems identified by recipients, NOT the CDC.)

Why did most states have to continue to send their samples to CDC for an additional 4 weeks (through March 2), causing a "bottleneck"?

And why is it only in the last couple days that they appear to have recognized the urgency and begun to really "ramp up" testing capacity?

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daspyknows

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MileHigh
The full resources of the US Federal Government have been made available to combat this health problem. Sometimes you just can't win.

huh? how come only 2,000 Americans have been tested by the US Federal Government?

I think they are more concerned with potential political problems arising from the results than discovering the truth. The only effective answer for
this challenge is people above politics. This must be embraced by both sides.

Of course this isn't a totally blanket statement but I've noticed here & elsewhere that the perception of this crisis is somewhat colored by if you are living in affected area. Deangoodman, daspyknows & I live in areas where a state of emergency has been declared & with good reason. The stuff is very real & is totally affecting daily life. I've said it before but BV is to be commended for allowing this forum & it's logical & even handed approach. Norway has some cases but its not quite a hot zone yet. BV is presenting facts & by keeping the politics out is preventing panic. Also, information is here that will come in handy if/when an area is hit.
I really hope the test kit issue in the US is resolved soon. As someone who is in the high risk category, I would like to know for certain. I have some of the symptoms but not quite enough to meet the criteria to be tested. Since that is the case, I'm trying to do the responsible thing & keeping myself shut in. It's not easy. Luckily, I have very good doctors & have been given guidance. They are also monitoring me remotely.
Again, many thanks to Bjornulf Vik. Out of all the sites I contribute to, IORR is by far the best on this subject. I hope the tour works out for everyone but its far from the most important issue of the day. We certainly don't want to force the issue & have someone from the band or fans get sick.

A bit strange:
Petition: Cancellation of Coachella 2020 music festival due to COVID-19 Outbreak