National Press Club’s Board votes to extend temporary suspension of in-person services
WASHINGTON -- 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; [email protected], (202) 662-7561