WTTC and Carnival Corp. to host Covid-19 scientific summit

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)– together with the world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Corporation & plc – will host the WTTC/Carnival Corporation Global Science Summit on Covid-19.

 

Taking place from 1400 hours to 1730 GMT on July 23, the summit, which is open to the public, will see global tourism leaders, WTTC Members, government agencies, destination partners, trade and private businesses, share the very latest science and medical evidence that can be used to inform practical, adaptable and science-based solutions for mitigating and living with Covid-19.

 

This unique virtual Summit is hosted by WTTC, which represents the global Travel &Tourism private sector, and Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, and is free to attend.  Carnival Corporation is the parent company of nine cruise brands that includes Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

 

The summit will discuss practical approaches to living in a world with Covid-19

 

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “This event will be a powerful platform for harnessing the best thinking from across all fields of knowledge in the public and private sectors. The science of this virus is rapidly evolving and these real-time insights will be invaluable in helping us determine evidence-based protection and mitigation measures to combat Covid-19. They will also help drive global alignment and collaboration on the frontiers of science and policy, which is critical to the survival of this important sector.

 

"Covid-19 has had a crushing global socio-economic impact and is threatening the jobs of millions of people whose very livelihoods depend upon a thriving Travel & Tourism sector for their survival."

 

The event will feature a series of panels, each focusing on a critical area of science surrounding Covid-19 and will include best practices from different industry sectors and world regions to control and limit the spread of Covid-19. Panels will include a mix of science-based debates and discussions sharing the latest thinking on the following key topic areas:

 

• Epidemiology: Incubation and peak infectivity periods for SARS-CoV-2; disease progression from exposure to illness; and symptom variability among different individuals and groups.

 

• Transmission:  How, when and where SARS-CoV-2 spreads; significance of environmental transmission; guidelines for mitigating spread

 

• Screening and Testing:  Availability and accuracy of current testing methods; viable and cost effective ways to detect illness and effectiveness of screening using temperature and health questionnaires.

 

• Therapeutics:  Status of vaccine development; available and approved SARS-CoV-2 treatment protocols; the role of cytokine storms; and profiles of Covid--19 recovery.

 

•  Practical Risk Mitigation:  Measures to mitigate the risks of social gatherings; balancing the benefits and risks of social gatherings; the role of testing, contact tracing, and managing the psychology of fear.

 

Arnold Donald, President & CEO of Carnival Corporation, is a member of the WTTC Executive Committee and its Vice Chair for North America. Carnival Corporation designed and is producing the Summit in close coordination with WTTC leadership.

 

“Our highest responsibility and top priorities are compliance, protecting the environment and the safety, health and well-being of our guests, our crew members and the people in the communities we visit,” said Donald. “Throughout the pause in our guest operations, we have been consulting and assembling the best minds in medical science, public health and infectious disease control. We are grateful to bring together a select group of science and medical experts who bring such relevant insight into Covid-19 for the public to hear. Hopefully, this summit will be an efficient way for attendees to become more informed about Covid-19 in the space of just a few hours.”

 

To register for the summit, please go to CovidScienceSummit.com  Global participants will be invited to submit questions in advance and during the online event.  - TradeArabia News Service