DCU Center loses two conferences as businesses address coronavirus concerns
Photo/Grant Welker
The DCU Center in Worcester
The coronavirus outbreak is forcing more companies to re-examine their operations, including those in Central Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress has canceled its annual conference to be held March 28 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The group said the decision was made after closely monitoring updates and recommendations from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and after conferring with its leadership.
Mirick O'Connell, a Worcester law firm, has postponed its annual law conference to be held at the DCU Center on April 16. It will instead be held this fall.
Other DCU Center events are still going on as scheduled, including a Worcester Railers hockey game set to take place at the arena Friday night and regional games for the collegiate men's hockey tournament March 27 and 28.
[Related: Baker declares state of emergency as Mass. cases rise to 92]
UMass Memorial Medical Center announced a new visitors policy Wednesday restricting those on hospital campuses.
Effective immediately patients currently in the hospital are allowed only one, designated adult visitor per day, with no children under 18 are allowed. Visitors who have a fever, cough or shortness of breath, are prohibited from visiting.
Patients in labor or in the neonatal intensive care unit are exempted.
Central Massachusetts colleges have otherwise been those earliest to act, with UMass Medical Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Fitchburg State University announcing Wednesday suspension of in-person courses.
WPI and UMass Medical School previously suspended school-related international travel, and Assumption College sent students home from its Rome campus. Those Worcester schools and other colleges have said they're closely monitoring the outbreak for potential next steps.
The City of Worcester also canceled the St. Patrick's Day parade and road race to be held Mach 15.
Some other businesses where people gather closely are taking steps, including the sister Framingham breweries Jack's Abby Craft Lagers and Springdale Beer Co., which said they're removing menus, silverware buckets and condiment containers from common areas and instead having staff bring those items to tables as guests are seated.
[Related: Stock of largest Central Mass. public companies down 14%]
At Jack's Abby, long communal tables are being separated to keep guests farther apart, and tours are being suspended until further notice. Both breweries said their staff would be extra vigilant in cleaning between guests.
At UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester, the region's largest employer, workers are being advised to take extra precautions.
"Our patients need us. And we need each other," UMass Memorial President and CEO Eric Dickson said in a memo late Tuesday. "As the safety net health system for our region, we care for our most vulnerable patients. Those who are most at risk for getting seriously ill from COVID-19 are those same vulnerable patients. We have a higher responsibility than most to protect ourselves because we are a critical resource for the communities we serve. So please take precautions to care for yourself and those around you."
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments