Given the rapid spread of COVID-19, the response from the Federal Government, the Government of Ontario declaring a state of emergency, and recent guidance from the SCA, this is the time to take the step and suspend all meetings and practices officially. I know that many of you have either suspended already or have had your spaces shut down, but prudence dictates making sure that we all do our part. Unless otherwise noted, this will be in effect until 30 April.
We would encourage you all to find virtual ways to be together – we may be apart, but we do not need to be alone. There have already been offers of virtual meetings gone by, and other Kingdoms have been experimenting with great success holding virtual meetings for local groups. Facebook has some tools that may be of service, and there are also things like Google Hangouts. If you sign up for Zoom (zoom.us), the free plan allows for meetings of up to 100 people for 40 minutes at a time.
In related news, Coronation is scheduled for 25 April as usual. We are not yet at the point of making a decision about rescheduling it. The site has shut down for the next two weeks and will reassess whether they will reopen for people to use the building at that point. We will also use the next two weeks to see how things evolve. Of course, if the site is shut down then we will need to make other plans. If the site does decide to reopen, we will still make our own decision that best suits Ealdormere and its populace.
We are still keeping a wait and see stance for Lady Mary and events beyond that. We will be reaching out to the event staff of Lady Mary in the near future to be sure that we are prepared for the decisions that may need to be made as COVID continues to advance.
Stay safe, folks.
-Lars