[Exports_all] EXPORTS Status

[Passow, Uta]

Hi all,

I appreciate all the chatter on the topic. Personally, right now I feel 
deeply uncomfortable at the thought of going on the ship in four weeks - 
as much as I hate to even think that. But as a scientist It seems to me 
that we are on a downhill slide on this. I'd love to be convinced 
otherwise.

Trying to be realistic we now know that

some carriers of Corona may not have any symptoms, e.g. spread it and go 
completely undetected for a long time. This explains while first in 
China and now in Europe the rate of "infected people" increased by an 
order of magnitude per week for the first 2-3 weeks.

that the only thing that seems to help is efficient social isolation. 
This is important to avoid hospitals getting overwhelmed with the 
fraction of people who do need hospitalization. The "wave of illness" 
has to be flattened to allow efficient help to those who need it.  (When 
Germany cancels spectators for the soccer matches, you can be sure it 
has a good reason).  Planes which we will all use to get there are not 
good examples of social isolation.

Boats are incubators (I remember one member catching a stomach flu 
during a brief refueling stop in Pakistan - there was almost no way to 
contain this).

These Boats will also be far from home, meaning we leave behind people 
who might need our support at this time.

The USA is closely following Europe, which is following China. Who knows 
what is really going on in Iran. Canada is a bit behind, Africa is very 
behind - but in 4 weeks it will be everywhere (except China maybe :-)).

Stay safe and avoid close contacts to lots of people

Regards

Uta

On 2020-03-10 11:59 p.m., Exports_all for Ken Buesseler wrote:
>
> Hi all-
>
>
> I appreciate the EXPORTS “family” greeting from Laura, and like a 
> family, I’m guessing this email will open up a wide range of responses 
> from make it happen, to cut our losses. I’ve heard these last couple 
> days from several PIs concerned about the risks of moving ahead, not 
> just in response to the denial at MIT of exceptions to their travel 
> ban, but also personal stories of friends and family who are impacted 
> in one way or another.The medical situation and social response is 
> getting worse (just look at Italy), and I have no faith it will be 
> getting better (look at our government). So while my perspective on 
> this type of work has been go, go, go, since well before EXPORTS, 
> LETZGO and VERTIGO, there are forces beyond our control that make this 
> a time to reconsider our options.
>
>
> Ken
>
> On 3/10/2020 9:21 PM, Exports_all for Lorenzoni, Laura (HQ-DK000) wrote:
>>
>> Dear EXPORTS family,
>>
>> NASA and the EXPORTS project office have been closely following the 
>> developments related to the COVID-19, and we have been discussing 
>> what the implications of the current situation could be on our work, 
>> our daily lives, and each of us as individuals. As we move closer to 
>> our set sail dates in April, we are considering all factors and 
>> making the necessary decisions to mitigate potential risks to your 
>> safety and the work you’ve been invested in for the past three years.
>>
>> It is our priority that our scientists and colleagues feel safe and 
>> comfortable undertaking the work which they are passionate about. You 
>> all know that our (Dave, Ivona and my) door is always open to you to 
>> express any concerns, frustrations, or simply to ask questions. As we 
>> continue to navigate the situation, I ask that you please don’t 
>> hesitate giving me a call (202.358.0917 office /202.329.4052 mobile) 
>> or send me an email (laura.lorenzoni at nasa.gov 
>> <mailto:laura.lorenzoni at nasa.gov>) if you wish to discuss anything in 
>> particular, need to vent, or just need a sounding board for anything. 
>> Ivona and Dave are also at your disposal. Rest assured that we are 
>> monitoring the situation regularly and discussing the rapidly 
>> evolving conditions on a daily basis.
>>
>> We will probably have a project call within the next few days to 
>> inform all of you of our current thinking and situation. In the 
>> meantime, please reach out if you’d like to talk. We depend on each 
>> other for the success of EXPORTS, and the passion for the work you do 
>> is what has made it all possible so far. Even in adversity it is 
>> important to remain optimistic, and above all stay safe.
>>
>> Thank you all for being part of EXPORTS!
>>
>> Laura (on behalf of the Project Office)
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Exports_all mailing list
>> Exports_all at espo.nasa.gov
>> https://espo.nasa.gov/lists/listinfo/exports_all
> -- 
> Ken Buesseler
> Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
> http://cafethorium.whoi.edu      @Cafe_Thorium
> Director, Center for Marine and Environmental Radioactivity
> http://www.whoi.edu/CMER         @whoi_cmer
> 508-289-2309
>
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