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March 2 Update on COVID-19

Read our most recent update on COVID-19: https://pycon.blogspot.com/search/label/COVID-19


The coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. Since PyCon US 2020 is scheduled in April, we want to give our community an update on our status and more information about our policy for attendees pertaining to COVID-19.

As of March 2, PyCon 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA is scheduled to happen.

The staff and board directors are actively watching the situation closely, as it continues to change rapidly. We plan to reassess the situation weekly and more frequently as we get closer to the event. This includes checking in with our Pittsburgh team for updates including from vendors and local authorities.

Currently, there have not been any COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and conferences continue to happen at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. On February 28th, the Pennsylvania Department of Health stated “For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low”. These evaluations from the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health are the basis for our current decision to move forward with PyCon US 2020 as planned.

That said, we understand that the situation varies depending on where attendees live and work. PyCon will refund 100% of registration fees for anyone that has their travel impacted by COVID-19 or has any concerns about traveling, especially if traveling internationally. If at the time of PyCon you feel sick, or are worried that you might have been in contact with people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, we encourage you to stay home. Your registration will be 100% refunded. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to pycon-reg at python dot org.

Additional resources on the subject:


PyCon will continue to monitor this situation and we plan to internally reassess regularly. We will publish another update on Friday, March 6, and plan to keep you informed of our plans at least each week as we approach PyCon.

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