The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having an impact on tech companies doing business or traveling to a growing list of affected regions around the globe and is poised to further disrupt business operations if the virus becomes widespread in Massachusetts and the United States. As the largest organization representing the tech sector in Massachusetts, MassTLC is taking this threat seriously, both in our business/events and in that of our members.
Safety at MassTLC meetings and events is our top priority. We are monitoring the CDC, WHO, and other official federal, state, and local sources. The consensus opinion is that the current threat level at local gatherings is low. Our confidence in this low-level risk assessment makes us comfortable continuing to host local events as planned at the current time. Despite the low risk, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of germs at our in-person meetings and events. We understand that this is an evolving situation and if the risk level changes we will follow official guidance and adjust our programs accordingly.
While our business is primarily local, we recognize that out members’ business is global and includes operations in multiple affected regions. Our members, therefore, need to evaluate risk and make adjustments to corporate travel and business operations accordingly. MassTLC is working closely with leading tech companies, public officials, and incident response specialists to help provide our members with the most timely and actionable information to help them make informed decisions on managing this impact on their organizations. MassTLC is also planning to provide timely access to information on our website and through periodic information exchange sessions with our members.
We welcome your input on how concerned you are, how you are preparing/responding to this situation, what issues you are struggling with, what information you may be seeking, who you’d like to hear from in our briefings, etc. Please send your thoughts and ideas to tom@masstlc.org.
