To all Rotarians, your families and friends.
Corrina and I have had to make a difficult decision; that is, to cancel the District 9830 Conference.
After taking into consideration the expert advice received of State and National health authorities regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), I have concluded that Rotary Tasmania should do what we reasonably can to prevent our Rotarians from gathering in large numbers.
Our Conference Committee has decided that we must recognise that there is a genuine concern with regards to public health and people gathering in large groups.
There is a pandemic underway. We can’t eliminate it, but we can take action to minimise or slow its impact. There is one very simple thing that we can do that works – social distancing.
The advice given to the District Governors worldwide is that the current scientific consensus is that this virus can be spread between people who are in close contact with one another. The virus can also be spread through touching contaminated surfaces, simple things like doorknobs, tables, elevator buttons, handrails etc. That is why there is such an emphasis on hand washing and
cleaning surfaces.
Some businesses have already asked employees to work from home or avoid large groups. Many companies have stopped business travel and attendance at conferences. This is social distancing in action.
Ultimately, Corrina and I are concerned about the health and wellbeing of all Rotarians, their families and the communities we are part of. We are not prepared to put our members and communities at risk and that is why we have made the decision to cancel the District Conference.
To date there have been 12 District Conferences
cancelled in Australia.
I would like to add that the Conference Committee has done a fantastic job to prepare a great District Conference and we are disappointed to have to cancel it.
Corrina and I would like to sincerely thank the Committee for their dedication and the hard work they have been performing over these past two years.
We feel your disappointment and we very much wanted to share this Conference with you. We had a wonderful venue, a harbour cruise, top quality keynote speakers and a gala dinner (with some surprises) that would have been talked about for years.
These are unusual times and we are where we are.
Everybody that has registered will receive a refund but please bear with us as we work out how to process refunds.
Thank you for your support.
Michael Cooke
District Governor 9830
14 March 2020
Venue and Time to be advised
