2022-11-16: Special Global Event to discuss travel advisories, questions, and options.

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Hello,

The OpenMRS Community is always keen to ensure its participants’ safety in any of the community conferences. As such, we are aware of the current concerns coming up due to the travel advisory that is in place and the constraints some organizations might face as a result.

We would like to assure the community that the OMRS22 Planning Team is working with the local steering committee in Nigeria to monitor the current situation and take any steps needed for a safe and secure conference. Any updates on the current status on the ground from the US Embassy, Department of State Security, National Security Advisor (NSA) and other contacts will be routinely shared on this Talk thread.

Below is an expert from a statement by NSA,Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno

“There is a heightened security situation in Nigeria that we’re watching, however, there is no need to alter our plans at this time. Nigerian security agencies, intelligence organisations and armed forces are taking any security threats seriously and acting to address them.”

Click here for the current US State Department Travel Advisory: Level 3 Notice.

Click here to read a full statement made by the NSA, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno.

Taking it a step further, tomorrow, there will be a call to answer any questions or concerns that community members may have on the travel advisory. This will also be a chance for us to share and discuss what actions we might take and when, if the security situation continues to make it challenging for community members to travel to Abuja and participate in an in-person gathering.

All are welcome to join. Below are the call details:

When: 16 Nov 2022 at 7:30pm IST | 5pm Nairobi | 4pm Cape Town | 2pm UTC | 9am Boston | 6am Seattle

Where: Launch Meeting - Zoom

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ICYMI, here’s the recording of today’s meeting.

A few takeaways:

  • Gibril shared the real, current situation on the ground - it’s very much business as usual, despite heightened travel advisories from the US State Department.
  • We’ll set up a Wiki page where we’ll post any security updates from the Nigerian government and US State Department.

BUT

  • Some orgs have travel policies that limit travel when the US State Department advisories are at a certain level. If nothing changes by January, this means that some people might not be able to be at the conference - even if the situation on the ground is fine.
  • We’re gathering info on which orgs have policies that mean they’ll be affected by this and putting together a list of who might not be able to travel to Nigeria. This info will inform what alternatives we consider & how we proceed.
  • We’re all excited to be able to gather again in person - and we might need to look at alternatives that minimize the impact of the travel advisories on in-person participation.

Have a suggestion or idea? Please share it here, on #global-events Slack Channel, with events@openmrs.org, or join one of our Global Events or OMRS22 planning meetings (see the OMRS Calendar or weekly What’s Happening Talk post for detials).