I remain optimistic that things will be better by then, but understand the incentives for cancelling/rebooking now. I changed my Madrid ticket to London after Christmas. As far as a vaccine, I wouldn't suggest that as a requirement. They may well never be able to develop one that's effective or safe.
I think the criteria with regards to the country's and hotel's logistics for handling the issue should be the overriding one. I've started traveling again to see my sons in Arizona and the airlines are doing their best, despite the public. You can find hand sanitizer at every turn and nice wipes as you board the plane ( tray tables and lavatories are cleaner than ever). And, airline lounges are not crowded at all with enforced social distancing in seating areas, which are sanitized after each use. The fact that we aren't having huge outbreaks in the airline industry makes me feel hopeful. And, I'm thrilled to be able to wear a mask and avoid breathing lots of chemicals and mold in the airport and on the planes.
I too am likely to still be in Prague (great GF dining and beer) - that was my plan for Madrid if they had let me in. I was telling my son that since IETF is pulling out, we might be able to get some really good rates at the HIlton for that timeframe ;)
Regards
Mary.
Regards
Mary
Regards,
Mary.
On Mon, Sep 14, 2020 at 5:56 PM Stephen Farrell <stephen.farrell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hiya,
Given the constraints, that seems to me to make sense.
If somehow magic happens and we could meet, I might go
to Prague and have beer while attending remotely, but
yeah, that's not a reason to risk those costs;-)
Thanks also for asking for comment,
S.
On 14/09/2020 23:49, IETF Executive Director wrote:
> The IETF Administration LLC is considering switching IETF 110, due to
> be held in Prague in March 2021, to an online meeting long before the
> meeting and without using the assessment process used for IETF 108
> and IETF 109. This note is to explain why we are considering this
> action and to ask for community feedback.
>
> The background to this is firstly that we are still in the midst of a
> pandemic with ongoing major disruption to global travel. A vaccine
> is expected but the timing cannot be predicted and there are still
> many obstacles to overcome. In this context, while March 2021 is
> still six months away, the likelihood of a return to normal by then,
> or at least open travel, is low.
>
> Secondly, for 2020 the IETF LLC was fortunate enough to have both
> pandemic insurance and a strong contractual basis on which to cancel
> in-person meetings in the event of a pandemic. With that assurance
> we have been able to wait until the last practical moment to decide
> on switching to an online meeting. However, pandemic insurance is no
> longer available and the contract with the Prague venue does not have
> this protection and requires us to rebook within three years or pay a
> significant cancellation fee. The restrictions on rebooking are
> quite tight and there is only one set of future meeting dates
> available for us to rebook and avoid the fee. It is our assessment
> that the longer we wait, the higher the risk that this opportunity to
> rebook without paying the cancellation fee will no longer be
> available.
>
> We are therefore considering making the decision now to switch IETF
> 110 to an online meeting and rebooking the Prague venue for a later
> meeting. The alternative of waiting to make the decision until ten
> weeks out following a proper assessment, as we have done with IETF
> 108 and IETF 109, risks us being subject to a cancellation fee of at
> least $450,000 if the rebooking opportunity has gone. On the balance
> of probabilities we believe the best course of action is to cancel
> and rebook now.
>
> We would like to hear what the community has to say on this. Please
> send any comments either directly to me or to ietf@xxxxxxxx by
> midnight UTC on 28 September.
>
> Jay
>
