WASHINGTON, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of
Governors of the National Press Club (NPC) voted Wednesday evening
to extend the temporary suspension of in-person Club services
through at least April 27. This is an
extension of the Board's March 16
decision, which called for an immediate suspension of Club
operations for a minimum of 14 days in an effort to mitigate the
risks posed to the NPC community by the COVID-19
pandemic.
The NPC Board's initial decision to suspend operations was a
first in the Club's 113-year history and came after the US Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidelines concerning
in-person social gatherings. Since then, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has ordered the suspension
of all in-person dining services in the District, and more
recently, issued an order requiring the closure of all
non-essential businesses, and prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more
people through April 24.
NPC leadership will continue to monitor all relevant agencies,
heed official recommendations and regulations, and do our part to
curb the COVID-19 outbreak by keeping our members and staff at home
and out of harm's way.
The NPC is continuing to pay staff despite the suspension of
regular operations. Most of the Club's professional staff is able
to work remotely and will continue to provide essential services
and relevant online programming and content to members, guests and
clients at www.press.org.
NPC President Michael Freedman
sent a status update to Club members after the Board's virtual
meeting Wednesday evening – a message that began with an expression
of gratitude for the journalists staying on the story: "To our
colleagues on the front lines covering the global coronavirus
crisis: thank you for your courage, your perseverance and your
dedication to the pursuit of truth, as well as your efforts to
inform with accuracy, immediacy and clarity at this unprecedented
moment in our history."
Press Contact: Lindsay Underwood
for the National Press Club; lunderwood@press.org, (202)
662-7561
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SOURCE National Press Club