BIRS Measures related to the outbreak of Coronavirus/COVID-19, as of March 12, 2020

Posted on Thu, Mar 12 2020 16:03:00
Dear BIRS organizers and participants,

Note: Meetings are no longer cancelled, they are proceeding virtually. See this update for details. The message below is kept for historical record.

In view of the new travel restrictions imposed by various countries and the directives of the Alberta Health Services regarding gatherings (of any size) involving international participants, the following upcoming workshops will unfortunately have to be cancelled:

20w5214 The Interface Between Selective Inference and Machine Learning 03/08/2020 - 03/13/2020
20w5143 New Perspectives in Colouring and Structure 03/15/2020 - 03/20/2020
20w5229 Stochastic Mass Transports 03/22/2020 - 03/27/2020
20w5077 New Directions in Geometric Flows 03/29/2020 - 04/03/2020

No decision has been made yet about the workshops scheduled for the months of April and May. We are continuously monitoring and following the instructions of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Alberta Health Services and the World Health Organization.

We advise all participants traveling to Canada to stay informed of the status of the countries they are departing from and returning to, and to make their own responsible decision about their future visits.

BIRS participants should be aware that many airlines are now offering free cancellation or rebooking of tickets. Moreover, Canada’s three federal granting agencies (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) confirm that the reimbursement of non-refundable travel fees from agency funds is acceptable considering the impacts of COVID-19.

Please check the BIRS website for any update about this situation.