Considerations around the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Dear Kiezies,

Since late in 2019, the world is facing an epidemic of a new disease, named COVID-19, but often simply discussed as “the coronavirus”. We’re closely watching the evolution of COVID-19 in Europe, as you likely are too. We wanted to post a quick message from the Kiez Burn organisation about this.

Let’s start with the good news. As of now, there are no plans to cancel Kiez Burn 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 epidemic, but as you know the government asks events with +1000 PAX not to take place right now. Although we are closely monitoring the evolution of the situation, we are proceeding as usual with our planning of the event. All our teams are hard at work to make sure that we have a successful event this year.

This being said, the situation is rapidly evolving. As of early March, no public health institution knows what the situation will be next month, let alone in June. Any information that we might have about the state of things -- which countries have how many people affected, and which governments have taken what measures -- is bound to quickly become out of date.

Therefore, we cannot reliably say what will eventually happen and we have to prepare for every scenario. We will work closely with the local authorities, our external First Aid Team and firemarshalls on this matter -- about the evolution of the disease and how it might impact our ability to hold the event. We will of course keep the community informed as the situation progresses.

We are currently building a workforce around this topic to make sure we are prepared for possible future events. If you want to be part of this work force or have a background in a related field - please reach out to @Franzi.

This is also a time to remind ourselves that we are a community grounded in principles such as Civic Responsibility and Communal Effort, and that we each have a role in preventing the risks associated with the disease. We all need to play our part by keeping ourselves informed about the way the disease spreads, by following advice on how to keep ourselves and others safe, by gracefully accepting the containment measures that our local governments might set up and by engaging our community to make sure that they too play their part.

If you want to stay informed, here are some good resources:

• Robert Koch Institut: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/nCoV.htm

• European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/health/coronavirus_en

• World Health organization: https://www.who.int/emergen…/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Further information and advice will also be published in the survival guide and during the safety&security announcements.

That's all for now. Know that health and safety of the people at Kiez Burn is a top priority for us, and that we’re keeping a close eye on this. We will keep you informed as the situation evolves.

Virtual Hug,