NASPAA Policies regarding COVID-19

March 05, 2020
Heather Hamilton
covid-19 annoucement

NASPAA Policies Regarding Coronavirus

updated March 13, 2020

As a global organization that regularly brings people together from all over the world to advance quality in public service education,  NASPAA is carefully monitoring Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and thinking about how to deal with the risks it poses to our membership. This is a fast changing situation and NASPAA is following local DC/MD/VA health department directives, the CDC, and US Department of State guidelines (for travel domestically and internationally.) We are also monitoring WHO situation reports for global updates.  NASPAA will adjust our staff and volunteer policies regarding travel and work as the situation evolves. 

NASPAA is now at a high level of preparation for a public health emergency. 

  • As of 3/16, NASPAA has temporarily closed its physical office and established a virtual office and headquarters with remote work. Staff will be working full-time and be providing as full a level of service to member schools and the public as possible. Members are encouraged to contact staff via email. NASPAA will continue to receive mail and packages. 
  • As of 3/16, all NASPAA travel out of area by staff and volunteers has been cancelled for at least two weeks, and will be restored when conditions permit. 

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NASPAA has taken the following specific actions in response to the public health emergency:

  • The Vietnam joint meeting with Fulbright University Vietnam in April has been rescheduled to January 2021.
  • The KDI South Korea site of the NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition  (originally Feb 29) has been postponed. New date TBA. All other simulation competition sites proceeded as scheduled, with extensive warnings and information provided to participants. 
  • Accreditation Site visitors: The last site visit wraps April 8.  As of 3/13/20 there are 14 site visits left. NASPAA is currently PROCEEDING AS SCHEDULED WITH ALL US-based SITE  VISITS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, but it is anticipated that these site visits will be virtual. At COPRA’s discretion site visits may be postponed.
  • Site visits and conference attendance necessitating international travel will be reviewed two weeks prior to travel to determine if additional precautions are warranted, even if CDC and State Department advisories do not apply to that location.

 

FUTURE  EVENTS, TRAVEL, AND NASPAA HEADQUARTERS

  • NASPAA will follow the CDC and US Department of State guidelines and monitor WHO situation reports for global updates when planning FUTURE global  international travel. 
  • NASPAA’s Fall Conference in October WILL take place.  The decision whether it will be in-person, hybrid, or virtual will be made in June (and reviewed as conditions necessitate.)   Panel proposals are positively encouraged, and if accepted, proposers are advised their panel WILL occur. The panel submission deadline has been moved forward to 12 midnight EDT May 1.
  • 2021 site visits will be restored to in-person, as public health conditions and CDC and WHO directives permit.  
  • As in-person global events come back onto the schedule, all volunteers should check with their employer that their actions do not contravene institutional policies regarding employer-sponsored  travel and health insurance coverage.  
  • Other NASPAA international events currently in the planning stages ARE advancing, with contingency plans being put in place for holding virtually or rescheduling for a later date.
  • NASPAA’s physical headquarters in Washington DC will re-open when conditions permit. The re-opening will be announced in advance, on NASPAA’s website and social media. 

 

For those hosting March and April 2020 site visits, you are encouraged to references this guide to help transition site visits online.

 

 
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