07/20/2016

OSAE Closely Following Virus Outbreak Linked to California GOP Staff

Updates will be ongoing as we monitor the developing story

Yesterday afternoon, the Ohio Society of Association Executives (OSAE) was made aware of the health scare involving staff of the California delegation to the Republican National Committee (RNC) Conference in Cleveland. The delegation has been staying at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Center in Sandusky since their arrival in Ohio. OSAE has spoken with the staff of the resort and representatives of the Erie County Health Department to clarify what has transpired and to ensure our guests for the annual conference will be safe.

We have been assured that the persons infected with Norovirus, which was confirmed as the cause of the illnesses this morning, arrived at the facility and became ill that same evening. Due to the incubation period of Norovirus, it is highly unlikely that the staff of the delegation was infected following their arrival in Ohio. News agencies have reported information indicating that the Erie County Health Commissioner Peter Schade believes the matter is under control and that the staff at Kalahari have done everything they can to protect current and future guests of the property. We have received similar assurances. 

“We’ve got about 11 who have been sick over the last few days, and we’ve been out there every day and working with them to eliminate the spread [between] the resort and the delegation from California,” Schade told STAT, according to one news story.

Yesterday, the Erie County Health Department issued a press release to the media in which they detailed the actions that had been undertaken to address and rectify this matter. This morning, OSAE spoke with representatives of the health department and were assured that our members would be safe at the conference and that Kalahari has set the bar for how to address the outbreak and control of this illness. This article from The Sandusky Register highlights what has transpired. 

OSAE also has had many detailed and targeted conversations with Jerry Simon, Kalahari's assistant director of sales, throughout this period. To see the insights Jerry has provided, please select this link to download Kalahari's statements on this. The association will continue to follow this matter closely and provide updates as they become available.

We thank you for your continued investment in the association, and we look forward to welcoming you to Sandusky next week as we kick off what promises to be one of our best conferences yet.