[All] FIRST and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

[Jared Hasen-Klein]

Hello everyone.

FIRST headquarters has been sending out communications in the recent days and weeks regarding the global outbreak of COVID-19, commonly referred to as the Novel Coronavirus.

Let me stress, I am not a medical professional, nor do I work for or speak on behalf of FIRST. I would like to take the opportunity today to simply pass along the messages FIRST has been sending, in hopes of getting it in front of more eyes.

FIRST LEGO League Team Blast (Link)

COVID-19 Impact on FIRST^® Events
FIRST has been monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 and working closely with our Program Delivery Partners and event organizers to help manage its impact. The fundamental principles we have used, and will continue to use, is that we follow the guidance and policies as established by community and public health officials. The majority of FIRST events continue to operate as scheduled, including both FIRST Championship Houston and FIRST Championship Detroit.
 
When making your travel and event decisions, we recommend that you follow guidance from your local community and public health officials, as well as federal and international agencies. For more detailed information, please see this page. If you have a question about the status of a specific event, please reach out to local event organizers.
 
For questions about FIRST Championship, and other general inquiries, contact FIRST Customer Service at custome...@firstinspires.org.

FIRST Volunteer Letter (No link available) 

Dear FIRST Volunteers, For the past several weeks, FIRST has been closely monitoring the evolving novel coronavirus COVID-19 and working closely with local event organizers to help manage its impact on our community. We wanted to share some of the information we have been communicating to our event organizers and make you aware of where you can find updates as the situation continues to evolve. While some of our communities, teams, and volunteers have been impacted by this ongoing outbreak, the majority of FIRST events continue to operate as scheduled. This includes both the FIRST Championship Houston and FIRST Championship Detroit events in April, which remain unchanged in both scope and schedule. In this challenging time, the fundamental guiding principle we have used, and will continue to use, is that local event organizers should follow the guidance and policies established by their local community and public health officials as well as agencies such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. Additional information and updates specific to events you may be involved with in your local communities should come directly from your local event organizers and/or volunteer coordinators. How you can help We recommend that you follow guidance from your local community and public health officials, as well as agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including travel advisories and other prevention recommendations. Practice and encourage others to practice preventative actions such as: Stay home if feeling unwell, developing a cough, or running a fever Practice good hand hygiene, including frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, and avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth Practice respiratory etiquette, including covering cough and sneezes with a tissue, and then disposing of the tissue in the trash Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (including tablets and cell phones) Perform self-monitoring, and seek medical care immediately if feeling unwell Also, we encourage our volunteers to be aware of stigma related to COVID-19 and provide social support to teams and other volunteers, including promoting FIRST Core Values and Gracious Professionalism®. More information on identifying and preventing stigma is available at both CDC and WHO websites. Looking forward FIRST will continue to actively monitor this rapidly evolving situation and provide any new updates and information applicable to the FIRST community via https://www.firstinspires.org/covid-19. Thank you, FIRST Volunteer Resources Department Questions? Email custome...@firstinspires.org

FRC Team Blast (Link)

COVID-19 Impact on FIRST Events: FIRST has been monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 and working closely with our Program Delivery Partners and event organizers to help manage its impact. The fundamental principles we have used, and will continue to use, is that we follow the guidance and policies as established by community and public health officials. The majority of FIRST events continue to operate as scheduled, including both FIRST Championship Houston and FIRST Championship Detroit. When making your travel and event decisions, we recommend that you follow guidance from your local community and public health officials, as well as federal and international agencies. For more detailed information, please see this page. If you have a question about a the status of a specific event, please reach out to local event organizers. For questions about FIRST Championship, and other general inquiries, contact FIRST Customer Service at custome...@firstinspires.org.  

In addition to these communications, there have been several program blog posts which articulate the same points.

One additional resource is your local FIRST affiliate. They should be providing you with information whether to say that everything will proceed as normal or to provide additional information. If you think that your local event might be impacted and you are having trouble getting in contact with the appropriate local organizers, please let me know and I will do my best to help.

Stay safe, wash your hands, and listen to medical advice!

Jared