Temporary Pause on Face-to-Face Meetings, Activities and Travel: Frequently Asked QuestionsBackground
With the global pandemic continuing, the SIA Board of Directors held a special meeting on January 7, 2021 to further review and discuss the risk of face-to-face region conferences and other face-to-face SIA sanctioned activities and travel. Risk is anything that jeopardizes the health, safety or welfare of our members or Soroptimist as an organization.
The SIA Board made the decision – effective immediately – to temporarily pause face-to-face meetings and activities authorized or sanctioned by SIA along with associated meeting travel, until further notice. This includes region conferences and other region and club meetings and activities.
The SIA Board is aware of its duty to manage the legal and financial risk of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and its effects on the members, staff, and other stakeholders, including our Dream Program participants and the general public. It was only after careful analysis of all relevant factors the board decided that the ONLY absolutely effective action was to temporarily pause all SIA face-to-face meetings, activities and events, along with related travel, until further notice.
With the spike in numbers reported on the disease throughout the federation and across the U.S., including the new variant which seems even more transmissible and insidious, there is no guarantee that compliance with local or other governmental guidelines will insulate SIA and its members, staff and stakeholders including the general public, from bodily harm or death. Only by removing the incubator-like situations of face-to-face meetings and activities. can SIA say that it is doing everything possible to protect those individuals and SIA as an organization.
The detrimental effect on SIA is clear and of great concern to the board. But when weighed against the possible exposure endangering the health and safety of all concerned, as well as the financial risk to the organization and the infected individuals, the difficult but prudent policy is to take a temporary step back from face-to-face meetings and activities.
The board also considered several other possible mitigation strategies, none of which are as effective as the temporary pause.
Please remember this is a TEMPORARY PAUSE; the federation board will continue to evaluate the changing conditions of this global pandemic and remove this temporary pause when we can all gather safely. Until that time, we will support each other and create innovative solutions so we can remain strong for the women and girls who need us.
If you have questions, please go to:
https://www.soroptimist.org/for-clubs-and-members/whats-new/2021/pause-face-to-face-meetings.html