Alternative Conference to SCMS

Aaron Gerow aaron.gerow at yale.edu
Fri May 15 14:55:04 EDT 2009


Yes, that is the case in Japan. I should remind people that while the  
procedures during the workshop will be different from those that had  
been announced for SCMS (mandatory masks, etc.), the procedures taken  
by Japanese health authorities at the airport are going to be the  
same for any person, Japanese or foreign, entering Japan, at least  
for a while. This is a risk underlined in the first SCMS message  
announcing the problems and calling for a survey of the membership.  
(I attach it again below.)

I should reiterate that everyone intending to participate should be  
fully aware of those risks as well as to take responsibility for  
their own health before and during the workshop (try to avoid getting  
sick if you can!: wash your hands, gargle, etc.).


Aaron Gerow
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
site: www.aarongerow.com


Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you with news about our upcoming Tokyo conference  
that requires your immediate attention.  Please forward this  
announcement to anyone you know who is planning to attend the Tokyo  
conference.

With the advent of the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”), the Japanese  
government has issued a travel advisory and is aggressively  
monitoring the situation. Among the actions being taken are  
quarantines of anyone who appears to have symptoms of the flu. If a  
case were to emerge on your flight or among our membership at the  
conference, anyone who came into contact with an infected person may  
be quarantined. Quarantine can last up to ten days and you may be  
required to pay for medical attention if you show signs of being ill.  
Additional airline change fees may also apply if you were to become  
ill. On Saturday, three cases of the H1N1 flu were confirmed in Japan.

Both the National Government and the Chiyoda District Government,  
where the Josai University-Kioichô Campus is located, have asked  
Josai to cancel the conference. The Josai University administration  
has resisted this request and has kindly negotiated conditions under  
which the conference can take place. These include the following:

1) To monitor the situation and inform conference participants of any  
outbreak, the government requires information regarding each  
participant’s whereabouts, including hotel location and contact  
numbers during the conference and for ten days afterward.

2) Conference participants will have their temperatures taken when  
they enter the conference each day. Those registering a temperature  
above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be given an additional test to  
rule out the H1N1 virus. If the test is positive, there is a chance  
that conference participants, along with the infected individual,  
could be quarantined.

3) Participants will need to fill out a health declaration form each  
day of the conference. The declaration will ask about symptoms  
(including fever, nausea, dizziness, etc.) experienced during the  
past twenty-four hours.

4) Participants will be required to wear surgical masks during the  
conference.

5) If the World Health Organization raises the alert level to phase 6  
(either before or during the conference), or if a conference  
participant is found to have the H1N1 virus, then we will be required  
to cancel the conference. This could happen anytime up to and  
including the conference dates. Any potential financial costs  
resulting from quarantine and associated delays are the  
responsibility of the traveler; the Society is not responsible for  
these costs, and members traveling agree to incur them.

Although the US Centers for Disease Control and various other health  
officials have determined that the H1N1 virus is much milder than was  
originally anticipated, we nevertheless need to alert you to the  
situation in Japan. We feel it is our responsibility to inform you to  
prepare for long airport delays and inconveniences, daily health  
screenings, and paperwork that travelers to Japan are currently  
experiencing. The cases of swine flu currently in Japan were brought  
in via air travel. All nonstop flights from the US and Canada will be  
boarded by health workers in bio-hazard suits and passengers on such  
flights will be monitored while on the plane for fever and other flu  
signs.

We ask that you let us know whether, under these conditions, you  
intend to attend the conference or not. Your response will enable us  
to determine whether or not the conference should take place. SCMS is  
unable to postpone or reschedule this event. Please let us know of  
your plans immediately and no later than 5:00 CST tomorrow, May 12,  
2009 by clicking on the following link and responding to our survey  
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Y5nh04W0KpjyzJ8mmEkkqQ_3d_3d.

If you decide to cancel your trip and inform us by 5:00pm CST  
tomorrow, SCMS will reimburse your registration fees. Those who  
choose not to attend the conference may wish to investigate their  
airline’s particular cancellation and postponement terms and  
conditions. Many airlines charge a change fee but will allow  
travelers to change the terms of their tickets for up to a year.

If you decide to attend the conference, you must provide us with your  
contact information in Tokyo (and for ten days after the conference),  
and you must agree to the terms which Josai University has arranged  
with the Health Ministries, outlined above.

We ask for your understanding of these difficult circumstances, which  
are beyond the Society’s control.

Sincerely,

Patrice Petro
SCMS President


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