SEAGA 2020 to be deferred till October 2020

To friends of SEAGA nad all delegates,

In light of the ongoing Novel Coronavirus situation, organisers of SEAGA 2020 Conference in Bangkok and the SEAGA Executive Committee have decided to defer the 2020 event to the last week of October (27 - 30 Oct tentatively).

WHO has declared the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern  (as of 30 Jan 2020). (https://www.who.int) 

The SEAGA 2020 organising committee has been in constant communication with the SEAGA ExCO and we have been monitoring the situation closely over the last week. 

As of 5 February, there have been more than 24,000 cases around the world. Countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Germany, and Thailand  have reported infections that were not imported from China.

We have also been receiving an increasing number of request to withdraw from the conference due to the current situation. Further, as the status of the outbreak is constantly evolving, there will be difficulty in predicting how many delegates may be affected by travel restrictions imposed by different jurisdictions and organisations.

We weighed the risks of uncertainty in the development of the situation with the benefits of continuing with the planned schedule. We also thought about the impact on delegates and the organisers should we postpone the event. After careful consideration of all the factors and impact on individuals, the SEAGA ExCO and SEAGA 2020 Organising committee have decided to postpone the SEAGA 2020 conference to a later date in 2020.

We have to make a decision by today so that there will be minimal impact on all.

An email has been sent to all delegates who have registered. If you any queries, please email seaga@nie.edu.sg.

Given the fluidity of the situation and the uncertainty ahead, the committees have little choice but to postpone the event. We sincerely apologise that we have to put you through this postponement of the event. 

We want to thank everyone for your continued support and we hope to see you at SEAGA 2020 in October.

Please stay well. Be vigilant and take care of those around you.

Wishing everyone good health.

Best regards,

Dr. Chang Chew Hung

President Southeast Asia Geography Association.