Posted June 9, 2003.

If No Travel Advisory, ALA Conference to Remain in Toronto

The Executive Board of the American Library Association voted June 6 to continue with plans to hold the ALA Annual Conference in Toronto June 19–25, despite growing numbers of the potential 25,000 attendees who say they will stay home because of the threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). With the conference just two weeks away, the board also decided that if either the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an advisory against travel to Toronto the conference will be canceled.

Growing fear about the safety of travel to Toronto has led to the cancellation of approximately 5% of programs and meetings, said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels, but “the vast majority of the programs are still on track.” At 9,700, individual registrations are about 1,000 less than last year at the same time for the ALA conference in Atlanta, said Fiels. At 597, exhibitor registration is down by about 100, with Baker and Taylor being the most recent major cancellation.

Although Canadian health and tourism officials have assured travelers that there is no reason to avoid Toronto, ALA plans to take every precaution to assuage the fears of conference attendees, Fiels said. A doctor will be on call throughout the conference, and a special booth will be set up to advise on health matters and to assure that attendees are made aware of which hospitals in the city have had no occurrences of SARS.

In May, the board decided to remain in Toronto after a WHO travel advisory was lifted just six days after it was issued.

 Posted June 9, 2003.