Corona Virus: Meetings Cancelled. Message from Diana Ackerley, SGC President

Dear Members of the Seattle Garden Club,

You may have read the recent “New York Times” article about “flattening the curve” or slowing the inevitable spread of a virus and why that matters: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html

History teaches us that “social distancing” is effective. Analysis of the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 reveals that social distancing slows the spread of a contagious virus and lessens the risk of overwhelming the healthcare system and accelerating the rate of infection. Knowing this and in response to the current spread of the virus in the United States, we have decided to put into place the following social-distancing measures:
Our March 19 General Meeting will be Canceled
Our April 2 Board Meeting will likely to be an online video conference if possible – details to follow for board members
Our April 6 Hort Meeting will be Canceled
Our April 15 General Meeting with Tacoma – I suspect this meeting will be canceled, but we will confirm closer to the date.
We are past containment in the US and abroad. The goal at this point is to slow the spread and avoid large groups of people.

Experts do not know whether COVID-19 is seasonal but if it is and subsides over the summer, it is likely to roar back in fall as the 1918 flu did. Definitively it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Our lives are probably going to look different for the next year.

Current thinking is that people are infectious 2 days before through 14 days after onset of symptoms (T-2 to T+14 onset).
How long does the virus last? On surfaces, best guess is 4-20 hours depending on surface type (maybe a few days) but there is still no consensus on this.
Apparently, the virus is very susceptible to common anti-bacterial cleaning agents: bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol-based.
Avoid crowded places.
Do the basic hygiene, eg hand washing and avoiding touching face.

The safety and well-being of all members of the Seattle Garden Club is our first priority. We are also committed to doing our part as an institution to flatten the curve and slow the transmission of the coronavirus.

We are grateful for your understanding and your flexibility during this difficult and uncertain period.

Sincerely,

Diana Ackerley
President Seattle Garden Club
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