From the Orange County Astronomers’ Board of Trustees: Response to COVID-19 Crisis.

The OCA Board of Trustees discussed our best course of action for upcoming events at its March 22, 2020 meeting, including Outreaches, General Meetings, SIG Meetings, Star Parties and all other in-person club events. We are cancelling all of these club events through the end of May, 2020 to help reduce exposure to the COVID-19 virus and in response to the orders from Governor Newsom and the state Health Department.

Chapman University has cancelled our meetings through the end of May as part of its response to the crisis, so these general meetings could not go forward there anyway.  We are exploring the possibility of holding at least part of our April and May meetings online, particularly the guest lectures. The details will be posted to the website, email groups and social media when they become available.  Please check the OCA website periodically for updates, as the information should be posted there first.

Star parties are now cancelled through the end of May. This includes both the Anza Star Parties and Orange County star parties. Any use of the Anza site by members is at their own risk as we have no way of cleaning the site to CDC standards. If you absolutely must go out to the site, be sure to clean and sanitize items you have contact with and make sure it is cleaner when you leave than it was when you arrived. You must also bring any cleaning supplies or sanitizer with you as it is not provided on the site. Be sure to carry out any trash that you generate or find on the site, and please maintain social distancing if anyone else is out there.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact board members and or post them to the email groups or through social media. We will do our best to respond promptly, but please bear with us if there is a delay as we all have other responsibilities as well.

Best wishes to all of you through these difficult times, and may you, your families and friends all remain healthy!