March 13, 2020
Dear Colleagues and Supporters:
It is with great regret, but with unanimous consent, that the board has decided to cancel the ASA conference coming up this May 1-4, 2020 in Washington, D.C. As the Coronavirus situation progresses, we understand this to be a pandemic that has not yet reached its full swell, and we expect that it will continue long enough that it is impossible to assure the safety of our participants as soon as May. It is our responsibility as a medical organization to support the efforts of public health authorities who have clearly advised against public gatherings, and to assure the best health of not only those who might attend, but also the patients and families to whom they would return.
We are currently working with our hotel contacts to negotiate this situation, and assure as best we can that the damages to the finances of the organization are minimized. If you have made hotel reservations or air travel reservations, please cancel those as soon as possible. Refunds and credits for hotel and airfare should be managed through those vendors directly. We have many details to sort out regarding the management of individual and vendor registration monies, and are working diligently to determine the best handling of those. We will be getting more information out about this shortly, and will reach out to you directly. Full refunds will be available.
Our Council meeting will be held by Zoom on Friday, May 1st as scheduled, though we will likely shorten the day.
We are so sorry for this change, but are in agreement with the long and growing list of similar meeting organizers that are taking the same path. Doing all we can do to help everyone stay safe and well is our top priority. Due to the volume of work and number of communications this rearrangement has required and will continue to require, please let us reach out to you directly if possible.
Yours in Service,
The Board of the American Society of Acupuncturists
LiMing Tseng, Conference Chair
