Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Updated March 17, 2020

FAQs have updated, please review ASAP.

The Trio is aware of the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) is having on members and clubs in our District. We are in regular communication with Toastmasters International and are closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary steps to support our members.

Please revisit this page often. We will update it as new information becomes available.

Guidance from Toastmasters International – www.toastmasters.org/COVID

(Additional Resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Department of Public Health.)

Due to safety and government restrictions, Toastmasters International understands that clubs may not be able to meet in person. Therefore, they encourage you to meet online if in-person meetings are not possible or preferable.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Will Division speech contests be canceled?
    • No.  The District Executive Committee decided on 3/16 to continue the 2019-2020 contest cycle.
    • Between March and June 1, 2020 all contests will be conducted virtually.
  2. Will District Conference be canceled?
    • Toastmasters has mandated that all Area, Division, and District Events can no longer be conducted  in person prior to June 1, 2020.
    • The District Conference has therefore been postponed until June.
    • The April venue will be cancelled.  All tickets sold will be refunded.
    • The District will reschedule the event in June.  Once we have determined the price for new tickets, we will move ahead with a June Conference.
  3. Will District Council meeting be canceled?
    • No.  The District Council meeting will be conducted virtually on May 9th, 2020.
      • District Business covered:
      • Club Alignment
      • Elections
      • Proposals
  4. What will be the format of the Online Meeting?
    Online meetings shall have the same format with the regular meeting agenda.  The only difference is the medium. Some best practices to follow would be:

    1. Unmute only when speaking to reduce noise etc.
    2. Turn off all the webcams except the speaker and the timer’s webcam, so that the timing signals can be seen by the speaker.
    3. Table topic master can call out the member to respond, at which point the member can unmute and speak.

    We understand that it’s a far diminished experience in comparison to the in-person club meetings. As soon as in-person meetings are possible, the clubs are expected to switch back to regular meetings at their venue.

Tips and Resources

  • Stay at home from community events if you:
      • Feel sick or have symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, etc.)
      • Recently had contact with an individual known or suspected to have COVID-19
      • Or if you are at a higher risk (elderly or immunocompromised)
      • Traveled to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Iran or other high-risk areas in the past 14 days. Check the CDC website for more details.
  • If your club is holding meetings In-person
      • Completely avoid shaking hands and other physical contact (use elbow bumps, or wave hands, etc.)
      • Create physical space to minimize close contact (one arm length, sit every other seat)
      • Provide hand washing capabilities or hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes, and tissues
      • Avoid touching your face or high touch surfaces with your bare hands (use a tissue)
  • If you’re not able to access your meeting space, meet Online using available video conferencing applications such as:
Comments are closed.
%d bloggers like this: