DVCon US 2020: Coronavirus program changes

The DVCon US 2020 program has been compressed into two days as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, and both the conference and exhibition will now end at 6:00pm on Wednesday, March 4, a day earlier than originally planned.

Organizer Accellera and the conference steering committee have taken the decision in the light of updated government travel restrictions and corporate travel policies that have already led to the cancellation of some presentations. Where possible, presenters from South Korea and Italy will deliver their papers virtually.

Delegates should check the updated DVCon US agenda to confirm whether sessions they are planning to attend have been moved or cancelled, and the official conference website for information about the event as a whole.

It would also be wise to confirm that any exhibition companies attendees were planning to visit will still be present.

DVCon US and Accellera have released the following statement also outlining some of the changes that have needed to be made and protocols for attendees:

• Presenters from China, South Korea and Italy are not attending.  We support a virtual presentation method for South Korean and Italian authors.  For the China session chair and presenter, we substituted the paper and session chair in January when United States Travel bans were instituted.
• We will have a social distance policy of no touching and promote good hygiene.  To say hello to each other, we suggest using a friendly DVCon wave.    We will also be providing hand sanitizers at the registration desk for attendees. This information will be presented at the start of every session.
• When an attendee badge is to be scanned, we ask the attendee to remember they should be the only one to touch it and hold it up if someone wishes to scan it. 
• We have urgent care health information for anyone who may become sick or feel ill.  They should separate themselves from the conference and stay isolated. 
• The registration area will be regularly cleaned throughout the day. 
• All attendees are advised to review the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/World Health Organization (WHO) information regarding travel advisories.

The latest WHO information is available here.

The latest CDC information is available here.