MILAN – Yannis Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), issued yesterday the following statement on COVID-19 precautions at the upcoming SCA Events.
The staff of the Specialty Coffee Association are carefully monitoring developments related to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak to understand its potential impact on our global community and activities.
The upcoming events, including Re:co Symposium, Specialty Coffee Expo, the World Coffee Championships, and World of Coffee, are still scheduled to take place as planned.
As each event approaches, we have set up a task force that meets daily to discuss the latest developments and the inquiries coming in from the community to help us to determine the safest course of action.
Our decisions and actions continue to be informed by local and global health authorities.
We have created a page on our website with health information and answers to frequently asked questions, which we update on a regular basis as the situation evolves.
We are working with our partners at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, and PTAK Warsaw Expo as well as with local government and health authorities to incorporate improved safety precautions. These include:
- The use of a modified cupping protocol at the Specialty Coffee Expo and World of Coffee events developed to reduce the chances of cross-contamination. See the Modified SCA Cupping Protocol section on the COVID-19 page of our website.
- The availability of hand sanitizer stands, placed throughout the venues, at entrances, and in public spaces;
- Clearly identified health information and first-aid points;
- Regular disinfection of work surfaces;
- An awareness campaign detailing health and safety precautions to be shared on our mobile app, in our show guides, and on signage around the venues.
We recommend that all on-site attendees, staff, and volunteers, follow World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations around health and hygiene, including:
- Washing your hands, or applying hand-disinfection products available around the venues, frequently;
- Avoiding close personal contact or greetings like hugging, kissing, and handshakes;
- When feeling the urge to cough or sneeze, cover your face with the inside of your elbow;
- Using paper handkerchiefs and promptly disposing of them;
- Avoiding close contact with anyone showing signs of illness.
The COVID-19 page on our website contains answers to frequently asked questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our activities, resources for staying safe at our events, and contact information should you have any additional questions. Again, we are updating this page as the situation evolves.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for on the website and you’d like to get in touch with someone on our team, please do email us at hello@sca.coffee.
Yannis Apostolopoulos
Chief Executive Officer
Specialty Coffee Association
