|
SARS
and the ACL'03 conference:
|
*
|
The Association for
Computational Linguistics is looking forward to an
exciting conference in Sapporo, Japan in July, and
we encourage broad participation.
|
|
*
|
The risk of SARS and
other communicable diseases is a clear concern for
everyone attending the conference. Currently Japan
is not affected by SARS, and the governments and
authorities in Japan and other countries are taking
steps to contain SARS. Reports from the World
Health Organization indicate that SARS is under
control and the number of new cases decreases
steadily. Unless the situation changes dramatically
we have no plans to cancel the conference.
|
|
*
|
Conference attendees
attend at their own risk. Attendees agree not to
hold the ACL, the local organizing committee, or
other organizations affiliated with the ACL or the
local organizing committee liable for any loss or
damage due to SARS or other hazards or
risks.
|
|
*
|
The ACL has no special
expertise regarding SARS or other risks faced by
conference attendees and world travelers. We rely
on the advice and expertise of the relevant
government and international health organizations,
and will follow their guidelines when possible. We
encourage all conference attendees to pay close
attention to the WHO, Japanese government and CDC
statements on SARS and other risks.
|
|
*
|
We also encourage each
attendee to use common sense in conducting
themselves during travel and during the conference.
You may also wish to discuss your travel plans with
your doctor or personal health care advisor for
specific instructions related to your individual
health care needs.
|
|
*
|
Useful links:
|
|
|
|
1.
|
The
World Health Organization
SARS section has issued guidance for mass
gatherings, from which we
quote:
|
|
|
WHO recommends
that those hosting persons arriving from
an area with recent local transmission of
SARS follow the following
principles:
|
1)
|
A
person who is symptom
free and has
not been in
close contact with a
suspected SARS patient may freely
be welcomed without any other
measures. However, he or she
should remain vigilant, and if
symptoms develop within 10 days
of arrival, contact the Medical
Service of the hosting
Organization/ Institution in the
country.
|
|
|
|
|
2)
|
A
person who has been in close
contact or thinks he or she has
been in close contact
with a person suspected of
SARS over the last
10 days, should not leave
his/her country and should
contact the national health
authorities of his/her
country.
If however, the person has
already left his/her country, he
or she should contact the Medical
Service of the hosting
Organization / Institution in the
country to be placed under active
surveillance for 10 days after
the date of his/her contact with
a case and according to the
standardized procedures of the
hosting country.
|
|
|
|
|
3)
|
A
person who develops symptoms
within ten days of arrival in the
hosting country (including sudden
fever above 38 degrees C, dry
cough, shortness of breath,
and/or difficulty in breathing),
should do the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
Not leave his/her room;
* Call the
Medical Service of the hosting
Organization/ Institution to
ensure that proper isolation can
be carried out according to the
standardized procedures of the
hosting country.
|
|
|
|
All
countries should have in place
arrangements for surveillance, contact
tracing and isolation in case of the
importation of a SARS case. The best
defense is not exclusion but good
management of the situation in the
unlikely event that someone attending a
meeting were to become sick with SARS
Wearing of masks by well persons who are
traveling from an area with recent local
transmission of SARS is not recommended by
WHO.
|
|
2.
|
The
InfoJapan web pages on
SARS has
information concerning the Japanese
government's response to the SARS crisis,
including a statement on measures
currently taken by the Japanese
government:
|
|
Measures upon
Entry/Return to Japan
|
|
1)
|
Collection of
interview sheet at time of visa
application (if necessary,
collection of a certificate from
a doctor indicating SARS
non-infection)
At all Japanese diplomatic and
consular missions in the People's
Republic of China and offices of
the Interchange Association in
Taipei and Kaohsiung, an
interview sheet is being
collected from all applicants at
the time of the receipt of a visa
application. In cases that
responses on the interview sheet
indicate it necessary, the
applicant is requested to submit
a certificate from a doctor
indicating SARS
non-infection.
|
|
|
|
|
2)
|
Method
to apply visa
At the Embassy in Beijing and the
Consulates-General in Guangzhou
and Shanghai, applications for
visas are being accepted only
through designated travel
agencies (this measure can also
be implemented according to
necessity in the other missions
in China and the Interchange
Association offices in
Taiwan.).
|
|
|
|
|
3)
|
Distribution of
in-flight questionnaire and
"health card"
On all flights departing from the
whole of mainland China, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Korea (only for
those who get on board at the
aforementioned places and go to
Japan via Korea) and Toronto, a
questionnaire is being
distributed to all passengers and
collected upon arrival. Those who
fall into any of the SARS
symptoms, such as high fever,
breathing difficulty and history
of close contact with a person
suspected of having SARS in the
last 10 days, are requested to
submit a contact address and
telephone number in Japan (at the
same time, a "health card" is
also handed over.) For those who
do not, only a "health card" is
distributed.
|
|
|
|
|
4)
|
Strengthening of
quarantine systems at each
airport
Doctors of national hospitals are
dispatched to the quarantine
offices of each airport. All
passengers, irrespective of the
origin of departure, are being
subject to a temperature check
upon arrival at each airport (a
thermometer is put in place).
|
|
|
|
|
5)
|
Inspection at
port quarantine offices
For vessels from affected areas,
including mainland China, Hong
Kong and Taiwan in particular,
with the cooperation of shipping
companies, the same questionnaire
as the one described in the above
3) is being distributed to all
passengers and crew members, and
a temperature check is being
carried out. The questionnaire is
being collected at port
quarantine offices and a "health
card" is being distributed. For
cargo ships, quarantine measures
are being strengthened by
instructing the captain to carry
out a temperature check and
report health conditions of crew
members by radio accurately to
the port quarantine
offices."
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.
|
The US
Center for Disease
Control
has issued the following
information concerning
SARS.
|
|
ACL Policy on individual
conference registrations
The ACL has decided on the
following policy for cancellation of individual conference
registrations:
|
*
|
Cancellations received
one month or more prior to the conference will
receive full refund.
|
|
*
|
Cancellations received up
to two weeks prior to the conference will receive
the ACL membership (if paid as part of the
registration), one copy of the proceedings of each
event registered to attend, and reimbursement of
all amounts paid above the first $200.
|
|
*
|
Cancellations received
within two weeks prior to the conference and all
no-shows will not receive any reimbursements but
will receive the current full year ACL membership
(if paid as part of the registration) and one copy
of each proceedings of events registered to
attend.
|
|
*
|
Cancellations received
within a week of the end of the conference which
are due to governmental travel restrictions imposed
after the registration was received and that
preclude travel to attend the Conference will
receive a full refund.
|
The Executive
Committee of the Association for Computational Linguistics,
10th June 2003
|