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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good Evening Federation Family:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have received several questions regarding how the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is responding to COVID-19 concerns at the local and state level. I wanted to share some information I received from our national president, Mark Riccobono, on the national organizations response and what we can do at the state and local level to keep everyone safe.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Attending a Federation event is a personal decision to be made based upon your current health status and, when appropriate, in consultation with medical professionals. For the latest facts about the virus, we encourage accessing reliable information from sources such as the <span class=MsoHyperlink><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019">World Health Organization (WHO)</a></span> or the <span class=MsoHyperlink><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html">Centers for Disease Control (CDC).</a> </span>Users of NFB-NEWSLINE® can also access the latest information in the breaking news section.</span> <o:p></o:p></p><h2>National Convention and National Headquarters <o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The 2020 NFB National Convention is taking place July 14-19 in Houston, Texas, as planned. At this time we do not believe there is a need to alter plans for our annual meeting. We will continue to evaluate the situation and the needs of attendees. We will update the national convention webpage (<span class=MsoHyperlink><a href="https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention">nfb.org/convention</a></span>) regarding the status of the event and any related precautions to be taken.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>At our national headquarters, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, we are taking extra precautions and implementing sanitation and safety measures to keep our members, visitors, and staff safe. We are evaluating our planned meetings and tours and will communicate with participants regarding the status of previously planned events. While we have postponed certain large-scale national meetings, we continue to host a number of smaller meetings where the risk factors are low. These factors are being constantly reviewed.</span><o:p></o:p></p><h2><o:p> </o:p></h2><h2>At this time, the guidance leadership at the local and affiliate level has received is to continue with meetings as planned. If there are any changes to plans that I am made aware of by chapter leadership, I’ll get an email out to everyone and we will also work to update our affiliate’s social media platforms with the information. As always, conditions on the ground will ultimately dictate what happens at the local level. If we receive word from local officials, or meeting venue personnel that plans need to be altered, we will act accordingly.<o:p></o:p></h2><h2>Chapter leadership and the board have received additional guidance on measures leadership can take to make sure chapter meetings run as smoothly as possible during this time. There may be modifications to greetings, refreshments, or other things in regards to meetings that chapter leadership may implement. If that is the case, please follow the direction of the leadership. If anyone has further concerns around this, please feel free to reach out to your chapter president or to me directly.<o:p></o:p></h2><h2>The safety of our members is our number one concern now and always. As more information becomes available, or if there are other changes to plans in the future, rest assured the information will be distributed in a timely manner to keep everyone informed. In the meantime, let’s not let COVID-19 stop our progress. We are the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa, and we will not back down from this, or anything else! Let’s go build the Federation!<o:p></o:p></h2><h2> <o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Website</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Facebook</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Twitter</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><br>The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>