The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) said that its 2020 congress will go ahead as planned amid Coronavirus fears, “unless anything changes and the World Health Organization or government advise otherwise”.
While the association is “closely monitoring” the situation, the event is still scheduled to take place between Thursday 2 April and Sunday 05 April 2020.
In a newly released statement, the group said it was “working hard to deliver an engaging, innovative and safe Congress 2020”, and that the “health and safety of our members, attendees and participants is our first priority”.
BSAVA said: “Although the risk to individuals is low, we have put a number of measures in place to ensure the health and safety of our speakers, exhibitors, attendees, volunteers and staff.
“We have initiated an on-site protocol to minimize risk and maintain a safe environment for all Congress participants. We are following venue, government and international guidelines and rules.”
It added: “We are working closely with Birmingham ICC and Arena and other venues hosting official Congress programming to ensure sufficient medical processes are in place and that sanitation products will be readily available.”
It continued: “We have reviewed our catering service to minimize any transmission risks, and we are continuing to develop plans for dealing with a number of contingencies that may arise in this rapidly evolving situation.”
The group said that it will also “communicate any relevant updates” as appropriate, and advises all attendees to “take reasonable precautions”, and stay informed of any information that national and local public health authorities make available.
