Earlier this week, the ICASA CONFERENCE, the Largest HIV/AIDS Conference in Africa (ICASA 2021) which was going to be a Hybrid event was thrown into disarray as the self-regulatory protocols of testing staff, suppliers and delegates resulted in the announcement that there were indeed cases of infection, prior to the event taking place. This led to the event been moved to virtual only, as infection numbers keep moving in the wrong direction.
How the cancellation of the in-person component of the event was dealt with does require some questioning.
Weekly we have communicated that saving lives while also trying to save livelihoods will always be a delicate balance in this pandemic.
The release this week of the National Norms and Standards by the Department of Tourism is a key piece of legislation that guides self-regulation for the hospitality industry in South Africa. In addition to all the protocols the industry has developed, such as the Re-Opening guidelines, serves as an additional layer of checks and balances when we host events.
Some may argue that we are overregulating ourselves as we are testing before and during events. Other industries are not and as such we are being singled out for doing the right thing. That is finding the balance between saving lives and livelihoods.
SAACI continues to advocate that our recovery will be done in a responsible manner with all the safety protocols we have shared, developed and tested at the industry proof of concept events these past 21 months.
But we can’t remain quiet when the same authorities that we work with, deal with our industry in a manner that threatens our livelihoods.
Full Newsletter: Self Regulation
