Given what is going on in the world I am willing to cancel the meeting in March, April and May if necessary. The bare hard truth is yes a lot of places are closing down for the next month or so but let’s examine why. Broadway in New York, Mirvish in Toronto and sporting venues closed down. These are places that draw a large number of people under one roof. There are large crowds there. Our Lodge, if every single member attended a meeting still would not constitute being a large cloud. We are not a large group.

I would have a much larger concern about going out to a restaurant. We have no idea about who is cooking or serving the food. That is a much larger worry than a group of us getting together and shumzing. I do agree that perhaps - if we do have a meeting - we do away with dinner for the next little while. That makes sense to me.

Let us not overreact. I fully agree that there is a concern and we should be taking precautions. At the same time, we should also remain calm. The reason schools are closing down for two weeks after March break is quite intelligent. March break is a busy travel time. Closing down for the two weeks afterwards is the government’s way of forcing self-isolation. That makes sense!

In closing, I would hope that if we do have a meeting, you stay away if you are sick. In the next couple of weeks, you should avoid large crowds and stay away from restaurants, especially buffets. I would certainly avoid touching things that are being touched by many people. Any Lodge meeting is certainly too small to be of concern.

Stay calm and be well,

Stewart