VEX Worlds Public Statement

[Sylvie]

@gilmorkn472

Kentucky state is canceled.

At this rate worlds is gone in a few minutes

[gilmorkn472]

Here’s the official statement if anyone cares.

[DrewWHOOP]

Worlds not being cancelled looks like its just a formality at this point. As the situation worsens in Kentucky, 24 other states, and over 100 other countries, I find it hard to believe that worlds will continue in any capacity.

[Jared_Stark]

if there is no worlds, will there be an announcement of next years game?

[gilmorkn472]

At this point, this thread probably needs to be locked until Mr. Mantz needs to respond. Not too much more we can do in the way of asking questions.

[robots_AU]

I agree with you on this. I can’t see how the call hasn’t been made, everything is shutting down. Why would world’s be any different? I understand we all want it to happen but have a look around.

[destiny]

My school district just cancelled out of town trips and we just won the community award

[trajgor]

Same here. It’s a bummer.

[technik3k]

Before this thread gets locked, I would like to link to another good article with a short excerpt about response to 1918 flu epidemic (graphs are in the medium article linked by @DavisHS)

Cancel Everything

When the influenza epidemic of 1918 infected a quarter of the U.S. population, killing hundreds of thousands nationally and millions across the globe, seemingly small choices made the difference between life and death.

As the disease was spreading, Wilmer Krusen, Philadelphia’s health commissioner, allowed a huge parade to take place on September 28; some 200,000 people marched. In the following days and weeks, the bodies piled up in the city’s morgues. By the end of the season, 12,000 residents had died.

In St. Louis, a public-health commissioner named Max Starkloff decided to shut the city down. Ignoring the objections of influential businessmen, he closed the city’s schools, bars, cinemas, and sporting events. Thanks to his bold and unpopular actions, the per capita fatality rate in St. Louis was half that of Philadelphia. (In total, roughly 1,700 people died from influenza in St Louis.)

In the coming days, thousands of people across the country will face the choice between becoming a Wilmer Krusen or a Max Starkloff.

In the moment, it will seem easier to follow Krusen’s example. For a few days, while none of your peers are taking the same steps, moving classes online or canceling campaign events will seem profoundly odd. People are going to get angry. You will be ridiculed as an extremist or an alarmist. But it is still the right thing to do.

[robots_AU]

I agree, and I personally think the US has a bigger issue on its hands at the moment.

[Grape]

To answer to the second question Dan said March 30th

[alexisangelee]

Will the slots of teams who are unable to make it be given to other teams who are currently waitlisted?

[Vibot06]

I’m still going to prepare for worlds, even if the circumstances might make it non-existent. We should all treat this like worlds WILL happen, because we aren’t going to get answers until there’re actually answers to give.

[robots_AU]

We know we aren’t even going due to bans and I have the teams continuing to build, they love Vex, still passionate, still want to keep the dream alive.

[anon4126930]

Our entire district just cancelled all school for two weeks. My biggest concern is not really what I know, but what I don’t know about this pandemic that is causing all these places to shut down.

[Riptide]

I admit I’m not very educated on these kinds of things but we now have much better hygiene and medical facilities than people 100 years ago. Even if the virus spreads a little the chances of many people with coronavirus being at worlds isn’t too high. If many people wear an n-95 mask, surgical gloves, and goggles the risk of the spread of the disease could be lowered substantially although everyone having all of this is unlikely. If anyone starts feeling sick they will probably stay at their hotel. 1,500 cases out of 300,000,000 people isn’t that many (although the number will probably rise). It’s unlikely a vaccine will come soon but drugs helping people get through the virus may come before worlds.

[robots_AU]

Fair enough. Why do you suggest that every major sports league in the US has shut down, numerous states of emergency, majority of major events cancelled, coachella postponed the list goes on. It is because you want to mitigate the risk, otherwise it ends up like Italy real quick, act before not after.

[forzapixel]

My school is closed till April 27th which is after worlds…

[Grape]

Well, my district just banned all travel and large gatherings so…
(The sad thing is, one of the things on their list for stuff to cancel was robotics events)

[technik3k]

@Riptide

but we now have much better hygiene and medical facilities than people 100 years ago

Yes, medical care had improved over the last 100 years, but the world is also more connected. It would take you weeks to travel between continents back then, and now it takes just a few hours.

The virus could spread much faster because of increased mobility in the population.

@Riptide

It’s unlikely a vaccine will come soon but drugs helping people get through the virus may come before worlds.

There are no drugs to cure coronavirus as of right now and vaccine may be many months away.

At the end of the day, if the strict social distancing is not implemented, it doesn’t matter that we have advanced medical ventilator machines that weren’t available 100 years ago.

If there are 300 people who are in critical condition and your local hospital has only 30 ventilators, then 270 of the patients are likely to die just as tragic as they would have 100 years ago.

That’s why we need to reduce the grows rate of the infection - to let those 30 ventilators help more people to survive over the longer period of time.

Background information

Short article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/10/coronavirus-what-matters-isnt-what-you-can-see-what-you-cant/

Longer article:
Coronavirus: The Case for Canceling Everything - The Atlantic

In depth analysis:
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now | by Tomas Pueyo | Medium

Historical perspective:
How Pandemics Change History | The New Yorker