African Utility Week and Powergen Africa, an exhibition and conference for the African power, energy and water industry that was to take place in South Africa in May has been postponed, its organisers have announced.
Clarion events Africa said in a statement that the decision has been taken as a measure to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. The event will now now run from 24 – 26 November 2020.
“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, employees and the wider public is of paramount importance to us,” said managing director David Ashdown.
In a bid to check the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, South Africa has banned public gatherings of over 100 people.
“Following the Government’s announcement, we have worked with industry to reschedule African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to November, in order to minimise potential health risks to those connected to the event,” he added.
Clarion Africa Event hopes that the spread of the Covid-19 would significantly drop in the coming months.
“It is expected that the current challenges presented by the Coronavirus will slow down significantly within the next few months, which means the new November date for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will allow us to deliver the most meaningful event in terms of maximising ROI for our exhibitors and excellent content and experiences for our visitors.
South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday ordered the closure of schools and suspended visits by family members of prisoners to all correctional facilities across the country as the deadly novel coronavirus spread in Africa’s most advanced economy.
After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 135 countries and territories. South Africa has 61 confirmed cases as of Monday.
The global death toll is now more than 5,300, with more than 142,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a “global pandemic.”
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