[Nhcoll-l] Inquiring about COVID and specimen quarantine

[Bentley, Andrew Charles]

Beth

I know that a lot of museums have been posting on NHCOLL-L that they have suspended all loan traffic due to COVID-19.  Reliability of delivery is obviously of major importance for valuable specimens and this cannot be guaranteed at this plus most museums are closed and there is no one to process loans.

Also, I recently saw a message from USFWS urging restrictions on esearch on bats to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19 TO US bats and thereby spawning a new pandemic with a mutated form of coronavirus. https://www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports/2020_04_13.html#067329

Andy

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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA

Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu<http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu/>

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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Elizabeth Merritt <emerritt at aam-us.org>
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 7:28 AM
To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiring about COVID and specimen quarantine

Hello all,

The Alliance is compiling a list of collections-related COVID issues, and I hope you can help me add the issues relevant to  natural history specimens. Has anyone been discussing the current or future impact of COVID on shipment and intake of specimens?  E.g., bans on shipment of some specimens (based on taxa, locality) as we learn more about what species can be vectors for coronavirus; recommendations for quarantine or treatment of some incoming specimens; need for research to inform these decisions.

Thank you for any information you can provide.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Merritt
Vice President, Strategic Foresight and
Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums

American Alliance of Museums
2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1005
Arlington, VA 22202
(202)218-7661





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