COVID-19 and the RC Communities
(In reverse chronological order)
March 24, 2021: Preventing transmission of COVID 19
Dear Community Members,
As we each and all think about COVID, how to handle it, and the vaccines in particular, there have been what I think are mis-statements concerning the vaccines. Vaccinations have never been perfect in their effectiveness and none of the recent ones are either. It has been stated on the list that the vaccines do not prevent transmission. Looking at the testing of the vaccines, the data shows that the various vaccines are from 60% to 95% effective in preventing transmission. Preventing transmission is what will slow and eventually stop the pandemic. These vaccines do this quite effectively, though not perfectly. These percentages are high enough to create the conditions where many, many fewer people will die.
The vaccines also significantly reduce the effect of COVID on that small percentage of the people who still become ill even though they have been vaccinated. That is an important but secondary issue.
There are many unknowns, as always, when humans are trying something new and the circumstances push them to move quickly, and what we have are not perfect solutions, but it’s important that we don’t misrepresent the information we do have.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
March 20, 2021: Handling COVID-19
Dear RCers,
The situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve. The virus is still spreading around the world, killing many thousands of people each day and sickening far more. The effects of the virus vary widely across the world—influenced by many factors, including the differences in wealth and political leadership in the various countries. Vaccines continue to be developed, tested, and found effective in protecting individuals from COVID-19 and are being widely distributed and used. Some have been developed using new technology, and some in the more traditional way of producing vaccines.
Vaccines have been vital in the past in stopping some diseases such as polio and smallpox. In my reading of the media and science-related information, the recent vaccines all appear to be quite effective in protecting individuals from serious illness and death. They appear to greatly improve an individual’s probability of survival. But as with any intervention in our body’s natural functioning, they have to be carefully thought about and examined, with the understanding that they may have effects beyond helping our body resist the virus. Data has shown that some of the vaccines have had a very small number of adverse side effects.
Many of the vaccines are being produced by large private corporations that will make large amounts of profit from producing them. Profiting from others’ misfortune is part of our economic system and something we are all wary of. The profit motive can make these corporations less than candid about their products.
We have a real pandemic in a situation that has many complicating factors and irrationalities built into it. We need to make the best decisions we can in this imperfect situation, and we will run into old distresses that will make this a challenge.
People think most clearly when they have a chance to discharge on the ways they have been mistreated and misinformed, and when they have access to real information. We have the resource to get the sessions and discharge we need to clear our minds so that we can use real information, not simply opinions, in deciding how best to handle the present circumstance. We do not need to automatically do what we may have done before—thoughtlessly do what we are told to do, or thoughtlessly refuse to do what we are told because of our undischarged distresses.
From my counseling of people who have contracted COVID and people who have lost others to it, I have no doubt this is a real pandemic. Because of the irrationalities of our societies and the distresses we as individuals carry, it looks like we will lose millions of people to it. We can each choose the way forward we think will provide the best possibilities for a good future for ourselves, the people close around us, and our species. What each one of us chooses does have an effect, very widely, in this situation. In making your decisions, please use the resources we have all worked so hard to develop.
From my gathering of information, it is clear to me that no other widely available measures exist to stop the pandemic except a large percentage of us being vaccinated as quickly as possible. All the other widely available treatments and measures—masking, disinfecting, social distancing—can slow down the spread of the virus. But under our current conditions of high concentrations of people and large numbers of people traveling great distances, they will not stop nor eradicate the virus. So, I have taken a vaccine as soon as it was available to me, and am now three weeks past the second shot, having felt very little effect either time.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
December 23: The Next Step in Handling our COVID Situation
Dear RCers,
The challenge to think clearly about handling the dangerous circumstances created by COVID are going to remain with us for many months yet. This virus has shown itself to be so easily communicated between people and so damaging that we have already lost well over a million and a half lives around the world. We have recently gained vaccines to handle this virus and drastically reduce the number of lives lost. Through massive efforts in many countries of the world, scientists have developed several vaccines that are now being used and distributed widely. These vaccines have been tested on large numbers of people and have demonstrated their solid capabilities to protect people from this virus.
I think, based on my reading of many articles about these vaccines both in the mass media and in science publications, that being vaccinated with one of these vaccines is something that I will do, because the vaccines will provide good protection with little risk. I also know that all of us are likely to have restimulated feelings about receiving one of these vaccines. Many medical things were done to us as children with no attempt to involve our minds. Also, in the current situation there has been much misinformation spread and much politicizing around these vaccines. Each of us can have sessions on our restimulations in this area and each of us can work to find real information about these vaccines, before we make our decisions on whether or not to be vaccinated.
Doing this work is part of what we need to do to find a solution to this situation. Please do so.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
October 28, 2020: Continuing under COVID conditions
Dear RCers,
The COVID-19 virus continues its spread and while there are several vaccines being developed and tested and even used to some extent, it doesn’t appear that an effective vaccine is going to be available to enough of the world’s population to stop this spread very soon. Until then, the virus will spread unless enough humans change their usual behaviors to ones that keep virus particles from migrating from an infected person to an uninfected person. This particular virus has shown itself to be unusually efficient in jumping from one person to another.
Waves of infection have occurred all over the world. There is a first wave when people don’t understand enough to take precautions. There are later waves when people grow weary of the precautions and are too restimulated by the necessary restrictions to maintain them. Here, around me in Seattle, we are going up for a third time. Given what we know about how restimulated early distresses make it difficult for us to think rationally, this is very understandable. Unfortunately it is causing many thousands of more deaths.
Until the circumstances with COVID-19 change markedly, I request that we do not do RC activities in person. The physical closeness that has been part of our regaining connection with each other simply provides the virus with too much opportunity to spread. (If you think your local conditions are different enough to do otherwise, please consult me.).
This is difficult and it is also restimulating. We can figure out some new solutions to lessen the difficulty (Zoom?) and we can also use this time as an opportunity to discharge the restimulated old distresses instead of doing less safe things to avoid feeling those restimulations. I think being part of stopping the spread of COVID and lessening the number of lives lost is worth the discomfort and I know we will benefit by discharging on those old hurts.
Thank you.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
May 30, 2020: Next Steps with COVID
Dear members of the RC Community,
I greatly appreciate what you have done in response to the conditions created by the COVID pandemic. Members of our Communities across the world have taken large and important steps to limit the spread of this virus. This has required significant changes in the way we live. People have used many sessions to discharge the feelings and confusions that have been restimulated. They then thought and took effective actions. This has helped to benefit ourselves, the people we know and care about, and everyone else. Thank you.
There are still many places in the world where the number of infections from the virus is growing rapidly. Part of this is simply the spread of the virus across the world. It seems unlikely that any place is isolated enough that they will be unaffected.
It seems like there are months of this yet to come.
The governmental handling of the situation created by this virus has varied tremendously across the world. Some governmental bodies have openly recognized the harsh realities of our current situation and some have not. All of these governments are constantly being pressured by individuals and groups that profit from the usual functioning of our economic systems and whose profits are threatened when there are fewer and fewer people working for them, especially fewer working in the factories that produce the goods our lives are built on. This pressure and all the connected restimulations distorts governmental policies by making the actual welfare of the people less important.
Because of these distortions, it is very important that no one thoughtlessly accept the policies being handed out. This is a period where it is especially important that each of us get real, factual information about our situations, discharge on our restimulations about the situation, hear each other’s thoughts about handling the situation, and decide our own course forward. As many times before, those of us who work to have our own minds may find that we choose a path that doesn’t match what is being promoted by our governments and other institutions.
Almost all of us remain vulnerable to this virus. That has not changed and will not change in the near future. We do not get less vulnerable by avoiding the virus longer. We do slowly and steadily learn more about the virus, about how one acquires it, about its effect on human bodies, and how better to treat those who are deeply affected. But we all remain very vulnerable and unable to know which of us would be most seriously affected if they acquired the virus. It is still clearly true that our most effective way forward is to deny the virus the opportunity to spread to more people. It is also clear that social isolation is the most effective way to keep the virus from spreading.
Given this situation each of us needs to make our own decisions in concert with those around us. Each of us needs to actively undertake making these decisions, beginning now. Please use all the resources available to you: factual, discharging in sessions, and hearing each other’s minds (online think and listens?), in this process.
Here within the RC Community, all of our work and communications is no longer in person. All of us who work for RCCR are working from home and expect to be doing this for many months yet. We have cancelled in-person workshops for the last couple of months and I do not see any way in which we could have in-person workshops again until at least well into the fourth quarter of the year. Most scheduled workshops are being reorganized to be Zoom workshops, which have been very effective. (There are a vast number of RC classes being held online and many people who before could not become part of RC classes are now about to join online classes.) There are many steps forward we can take during these challenging times.
I look forward to us creatively moving forward together to significantly change society in this time of unexpected challenge and opportunity.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
May 4, 2020: A While Longer
Dear RCers,
The coronavirus continues to spread, creating increasing difficulty, illness, and death, in all parts of the world. The regions that have had COVID19 the longest are engaged in figuring out how people can have safe, non-isolated, and productive lives given the ongoing prevalence of the coronavirus. The shortcomings of our systems are being illuminated once again.
RC Communities across the world have responded intelligently and well. Each is figuring out how best to use the existing electronic forms of communication available to them. It is difficult to predict what RC activities will be possible in the next several months. At least until the end of June, I request that there be no in-person group RC activities anywhere in the world. There are few circumstances where in-person sessions are rational. I think this needs to be our commitment to help gain control over the spread of this virus.
If anyone thinks that their particular local circumstance supports a modification of this, please contact me well beforehand.
We may well need to stay this separate for several months longer and there may be variations in what is possible depending on one’s location. Certainly, we will not be traveling long distances to be with others for a significant length of time.
Thank you for helping keep each other safe and thank you for finding ways to build contact and connection in this new situation.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
MOVING ONWARD
April 11, 2020
Dear RCers,
While COVID-19 continues its spread across the world, and the number of fatalities is still increasing, there are clear indications that the steps being taken by people to dampen the spread of the virus are becoming effective. People in RC have communicated many of the things they have undertaken to control this spread and there are not yet many reports of RCers coming down with the virus. I still think that it is likely that many of us will at some point become infected with the virus, but the work of slowing down the spread in order to protect humans and conserve medical resources for the most needy is important and has been effective.
I congratulate you all on being able to think your way through whatever restimulations have occurred to take effective steps.
These measures of course must continue for weeks and perhaps several months. This will create new situations and circumstances and cause difficulties in addition to those that have shown up already. These will be bigger challenges and these will illuminate the shortcomings of our societies ever more fully. Though these difficulties may burden us and most of the people in the world, it has been only during challenges this large that societies have had to change. We want to keep this in mind and use the opportunities that are being created for people to consider policies and actions that seemed too large before. We can, through sessions, support groups, workshops, and think-and-listens, move ourselves through the distresses that have slowed us down thus far, so that we can play larger and more active roles in helping people think, understand, and make decisions for their own futures, perhaps aided by a bit of discharge.
There has been an amazing amount of RC done using the web since this situation began developing. Apparently, this clearly challenging situation, and the work we have done before, have made it possible for us to decide that we are connected. Our seeing each other’s images and hearing each other’s voices, even though we are many, many miles apart, is now enough for us to know we are connected to each other. We are ever more clearly allied together in this work to save the environment and create societies that benefit everyone.
I’m very pleased that we are part of this effort together and I look forward to finding out how much we can do.
Tim
SHOULD I ZOOM?
March 31, 2020
Dear Teachers and Leaders,
Many of us have been using Zoom to communicate with each other, with our classes, and to lead support groups and workshops. There are always questions about security and misuse of information any time we are using the internet. It’s difficult for any of us to get a full enough and accurate enough picture and we can continually find articles about the dangers of any piece of software. Frank van den Heuvel is one the RCers most knowledgeable in this area. Here is what he wrote about Zoom.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
Dear Diane, Tim,
There are a few articles circulating that raise doubts about the security of Zoom. Many are echoing the allegations without checking what are real threats and how they compare. And without discussing the deeper issues, social and political.
The major problem with teleconferencing is the owner of the service. Can we trust the owner not to share or collect data. And also can we trust the jurisdiction where the service is hosted (Patriot Act)
Security is a container for many aspects, technical, social, judicial, political, and user behavior/skill/awareness, privacy and other civil rights. While Zoom is blamed, the real leak is Facebook. Zoom allows people to use Facebook or Google as an alternative to creating an account via email. Such "Sign On Services" are convenient but allow Facebook or Google to know when you use login to Zoom. People should be advised not to used these 'convenient' methods.
Although the articles attack Zoom via their privacy statement, Zoom is just exactly following the regulations (including GDPR) and they do not collect other personal data. Compare their statement with others and you'll see the authors are blowing it up to unfair proportions. (Sounds like an attack).
I have talked with Zoom about this and they confirm no data is shared with others.
My company uses technology to check also on data leaking via Zoom. Nothing has triggered yet.
There was an incident with a leak in July 2019, disclosed irresponsibly and dealt with reasonably fast. And this leak was a minor issue, but advertised as "Serious Zoom security flaw could let websites hijack Mac cameras".
Then there is the new "attention tracking" issue. Zoom should not have created this this. But it is a hardly workable feature for managers. The security implications of this feature are very low. This is a workers privacy issue also with limited implications compared to what people are sharing in other places and compared to many much bigger and more intrusive problems with privacy created by appearing before a camera in any teleconferencing meeting.
It is drawing away attention from us having to think about all the implications of these new technologies without laws and treaties and regulations that protect people against abuse of footage and data.
I don't see the current allegations as reason to advise against Zoom. There are no alternatives without issues. Some of them have more severe and bigger issues (like Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook and Whatsapp), especially when they have a business model that is based on making money out of data (footage).
I still do recommend people to use different platforms and for teleconferencing https://meet.jit.si/ <https://meet.jit.si/> is a good opensource alternative that I use myself. I have also installed my own Jitsi server, for testing, but it eats a lot of resource.
It is also good if people, (like it is good to brush your teeth standing on one foot) to practice flexibility and not hook themselves to much to one solution.
Love,
Frank van den Heuvel
Very good video on Empowering and protecting your family during the COVID-19 pandemic
March 29, 2020
Dear RCers,
Here is a very good video of a doctor explaining COVID-19 to his neighborhood over the internet. It is very much worth watching in my opinion. Use this as one good source, but continue to think for yourself about the steps you should take in your life, in your circumstances.
No source of information should be considered perfect, especially in fast developing situations. A couple of doctors in RC are more concerned than this about the dispersal of droplets and aerosols.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
<https://vimeo.com/>
<https://vimeo.com/399733860#at=0>
Covid_19_Protecting_Your_Family_Dr_Dave_Price_3_22_2020 <https://vimeo.com/399733860>
by Mariana Price
Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City shares information in a Mar. 22 Zoom call with family and friends on empowering and protecting families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID: PLEASE READ NOW
March 17, 2020
Dear RCers,
The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread across the world. At the same time, the effects of the virus in Wuhan are dropping rapidly. The governments and the people there took enough steps that they have been able to greatly lessen the spread of the virus locally. This makes it clear that it’s possible to limit the virus’ spread. And it also indicates the level of action necessary to do this.
Very clearly the sooner a community moves to drastically limit people’s contact with each other the more quickly we can end the spread of this virus. Any tendency by governments or individuals to wait to see if things will get worse before they take action simply endangers more people.
I think this means that we curtail all in person interactions as much as we can. This is true with our Co-Counselors and with anyone else around us. Our washing our hands frequently, our using hand sanitizers, our covering our coughs and sneezes, and not touching our faces all are useful in stopping the spread of this virus, especially when we must be out in public, but it is the physical isolation of us from one another that give the virus almost no opportunity to spread.
This new-to-us circumstance requires us to think and take steps we have never needed to before. We know we can think afresh and take new actions to solve this new problem. We also know that our restimulations can interfere with this, making it hard to think about this situation at all, making us go passive or take reactive steps that don’t handle the situation well. We all need to discharge on the things this circumstance restimulates in us, using phone, Facetime, Zoom, or other electronic sessions.
Please discharge and think for yourself. Listen to the medical people who have spent their lives thinking about these things, and figure out the steps you want to take and when to take them. So far, it appears that every government has waited too long and taken too small steps at the beginning. You get to decide. This matters to your life and to the life of people around you. This is a situation where it is important that you do not delay.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
COVID, more details on why to act now
March 17
Dear RCer,
Here is the link for an excellent article and analysis of our situation. It may have more data than you are used to, but it is worth reading through the article and not getting mired in data that restimulates you too much. Also, this is now nearly a week old but all of the continuing directions of developments are indicated in this article.
Please look at this today.
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
If you follow the author (clicking on the Follow button by his name), you will find this has been translated into several languages. (Summary of this article)
With love and appreciation,
Tim
Thinking ahead about Rational Island Publishers orders
March 15, 2020
Dear RCers,
COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases continue to increase in Seattle. Most of our staff have been working from home for the last week and a half. We are moving to have all of our staff work from home in case we are required to completely shut down the RCCR and RIP offices.
We highly recommend that you take a few minutes and order whatever literature you might need for the next two months today. We will prioritize getting out orders on Monday and for as long as we can.
If possible, please order from the website at:
www.rationalisland.com
If that doesn’t work for you, you can leave phone orders on the answering machine at the number below.
With love,
Diane
Changes in finances for RC workshops
March 12, 2020
Dear RCer,
In these extraordinary conditions created by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID 19) we need to have some new policy to guide us in organizing and having workshops through Zoom or other online workshops, which it appears will be the dominant form of workshops for a while. While we gain more experience in this, and perhaps until the next World Conference in 2021, our organizing and having Zoom workshops is to be guided by the following. These Guidelines are necessary to both clarify the situation around these workshops and to help continue the generating of income for the Community Service Fund. (This fund provides International Outreach for individuals in Communities across the world, for workshops in developing Communities, and provides support for the communications and coordination activities handled in Seattle.)
1. The payment of workshop leaders will continue to be as specified in our current Guidelines.
2. The payment of organizers will continue to be as specified in the current Guidelines.
3. The portion of workshop income allocated to the Community Service Fund is to be 30% (rather than the 10% currently specified in Guideline H.4 and H.5.).
4. Any extra income (net income) shall be divided between the Community Service Fund and the Rational Island Publishers Publication Fund.
These modifications are to Guidelines H.4 and H.5 of the 2017 RC Community Guidelines for Zoom or other online workshops only. (We will get out amended workshop financial reporting forms soon.)
With love and appreciation,
Tim
Caution
March 12, 2020
Dear RCers,
The corona virus (COVID-19) continues to have larger and larger effects on larger and larger portions of the world. I expect it to continue on this path and it is very likely to hit every community, including yours. We need to both protect ourselves and help contain the spread of this virus. In many communities no face-to-face RC gatherings are taking place: not support groups, not classes, not workshops, not gather-ins. These are being done electronically, instead, via phone, Facetime, Zoom, or other electronic means. Sessions are also being held these ways. The most effective way to contain the virus is to greatly lessen contact between people. Please consider the steps your Community can take. Ideally, we can restrict contact before any of us are infected.
Many workshops (local, Regional, and International) have been cancelled. So far, this has been done only with workshops up to about 3 months in the future. More are likely to be cancelled in the coming weeks as we get a clearer picture of the progression of the spread of the virus. Please tell RCers to not make travel arrangements for workshops in these conditions. Organizers of future workshops also should not make large deposits on sites if they will be unable to get a refund in the situation we determine the virus necessitates cancelling the workshop. I think organizers will need to have discussions about this with any sites they are interested in. You must expect sites to say it’s safe to gather when we don’t think it is, so that conditions for refunds need to be based on your judgment not the site’s judgment.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
The corona virus (COVID-19) and RC
March 11, 2020
Dear RCer,
The spread of the corona virus (COVID-19) continues to spread and the spread accelerates. This is a new situation for everyone and it is a situation that will restimulate us enough that we will need to make efforts to discharge and exchange information enough that each of us can handle it effectively in our own lives. I would like there to be an ongoing discussion on the RC Community Members list of the many issues involved. (Instructions on how to subscribe to that list are at the bottom of this email). These include:
** How are people working on the issues and distresses related to this challenge?
** How are you and others in your Community keeping themselves safe?
** How are you and others protecting your RC and other communities?
** What resistance are you running into when you try to change your behavior because of this situation?
** Who around you can’t think about this?
And many others. All sides of this issue need to be looked at, discharged on, and have information shared about them.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
There are several steps to subscribe to an RC list, and for the Community Members or UER lists, we also need a recommendation from your Reference Person (ARP or RRP).
1. Make sure you have a subscription to Present Time if you are a fluent reader of English.(If you are a fluent reader of English, part of being an active member of the RC Community is subscribing to Present Time. For additional requirements, please see below.
2. Set up an account at the server site <https://list.rc.org> if you don’t already have one. When you sign up for an account you will receive an email to verify your email address. Be sure to look for it in your junk folder if you don’t see it after some time. Once you have verified your email address, the account is created.
3. Log in to your account, click on the list you would you would like to subscribe to, and enter your email address. You will get an email from the list moderator asking for additional information, such as full name, phone number, and mailing address. Please complete and send that back to the moderator and copy ircc@rc.org. It may take some days for the list moderator to get back to you, please be patient. For the Community-members list you need a recommendation from your ARP or RRP. Please forward that to the moderator with the information above.
You will get a confirmation email when you are successfully subscribed. Keep this email. You will be expected to also use your account to make other changes to your electronic mailing list subscriptions. If you need help, there is a ‘help’ list where subscribers can help each other.
Intensives and one-way counseling at RCCR
March 11, 2020
Dear RCers,
Because of the escalating transmission of COVID-19 in Seattle, I have cancelled in-person intensives for the next few weeks at RCCR and most of our staff are working from home. We do rely on income from intensives to pay counselor wages and meet other expenses. We are now offering half intensives (ten hours in one week) by Zoom or phone. We also offer individual one-way sessions to people who have already had an intensive with us.
If you would like to arrange for some of this long-distance, one-way counseling in the next few weeks, it would be very helpful for us. Please contact Sandra McDonald at rcoffice@rc.org to schedule your time.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
Additional measure to take re: COVID-19
March 4
Dear RCers,
I am working to figure out the best way that we can respond to the international development involving the COVID-19 virus. We are all hampered by a great lack of information about this virus and its transmission, by our restimulations from this situation, and by the evident confusions and influences of capitalism on our governments and their policies. This virus is transmitted very easily and no one has resistance to it. Our next steps are to limit the opportunities for this virus to be transmitted.
Under these conditions, I want the RC Communities to take decisive steps to limit our transmission of this virus. Over the past weeks, as we began to get an understanding of the situation, I cancelled several workshops and other RC activities in several parts of the world. Now we will do more. These are steps we will take now aimed at the next two weeks. We will continue thinking and learning about the developing situation and modify these steps and take others.
** Staff at RCCR will not travel to other RC Communities to lead RC activities or attend workshops. (Seattle is a center of this virus in the U.S. at this time.)
** Any workshop occurring in the next month that involves any international travel for the leader or any participant should be cancelled. If leadership is from within the country and there are no international participants, the workshop can be held at the discretion of the leader and organizer if the workshop draws only from geographic areas where there is no “community transmission.”
When someone develops the virus who was not exposed to anyone known to be infected with COVID-19, and had not traveled to countries in which the virus is circulating, it is said that “community transmission” is occurring. This is an important marker of the spread of the disease and is commonly referred to in the media and by public health officials.
** Similarly, if an RC activity in the next month is drawing people from significant distances within one country that include people from locations where “community transmission” of the virus is occurring, that activity should be cancelled, or the people from locations with “community transmission” should not attend.
** In locations where there has been no "community transmission”, the workshop, class, gather-in, and so on, may be held at the discretion of the leaders of the local RC Community.
** In locations where there has been “community transmission”, all RC gatherings should be cancelled.
** People from Regions with “community transmission” should not go to workshops outside their Region in this period.
In place of these RC gatherings, we wish to encourage people to use whatever electronic communications are possible to do the work that would have been done at the RC gathering. These include using Zoom, Skype, Facetime, Telegram, etc. for classes, support groups, talks that would have happened at a workshop, and so on.
The way we have individual face-to-face sessions needs to be carefully thought about. Though many of us will never have this virus, each of us needs to thoughtfully limit the possibility of either acquiring or transmitting the virus in a session. Please read and follow as much as possible the suggestions that have been made by thoughtful people in the medical profession. We will list some of these at the end of this communication.
This is a very real and immediate challenge for us in the RC Community to handle. We can do this and support each other in our efforts.
I understand this has large economic consequences for many people. I don’t think this is avoidable, and these actions still appear necessary for the safety of individuals and our Communities, and all of the people around us. There may be ways to lessen the economic difficulties this creates by negotiating with workshop sites, petitioning airlines, and so on. To the extent that there are unrecoverable costs that would be a hardship to absorb, please reach out to Mike Markovits and the Re-evaluation Foundation.
Please go after each other. As with all challenges, one goal is to emerge from the challenge clearer and in better shape than when we first faced it. Let’s do that.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
From the U.S. Center for Disease Control:
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/infection-control.html> and people who are taking care of someone in close settings <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-home-care.html> (at home or in a health care facility).
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
From the World Health Organization:
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others. Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following:
Wash your hands frequently—Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain social distancing—Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Practice respiratory hygiene—Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early—Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider—Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.
Developments with COVID-19 virus
February 29, 2020
Dear RCers,
With the rapidly developing situation with the corona virus (COVID-19 virus), we have to be considering the cancellation of workshops in the near future, especially those that draw people from many places or that involve the leader traveling from a distant place. If you are intending to go to one of these workshops, please wait to purchase your plane ticket. We will be continuing the watch the situation and make decisions about cancelling workshops as soon as we think we have enough information.
Thank you.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
RC and the COVID-19 virus
February 27, 2020
Dear RCers,
As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread into more countries, it is important that we inform ourselves about it, thinking about each of our situations relative to this virus, have sessions on whatever this situation restimulates for us, and prepare ourselves to handle things, however the situation develops. Governments have not taken the necessary steps quickly enough to keep this from spreading.
It is important to contain and isolate this illness so that it does not have the chance to establish itself the way influenza has.
Our current situation has many unknowns and is changing rapidly.
Under these conditions, we in RC need to recognize that our gathering people from many parts of the world together can create a situation that could allow the virus to spread in that group and then in the individuals wide-spread home communities. This needs to be thought about by workshop leaders and organizers.
Each workshop needs to be thought about: where are the participants from and where have they traveled recently, and what presence does the virus have in those places, etc. Local workshop far from where the virus has appeared still seem reasonable to continue holding.
Any workshop that brings people together from far distances, participants and leader, need to be thought about carefully and postponement or cancellation considered.
We have canceled several RC events because of this situation already, in both Europe and the Far East.
The situation will continue to develop and we will gain clearer information in the next few weeks. Please discharge on and think about the situation so that we can handle it most effectively.
With love and appreciation,
Tim
