Thursday 12 March 2020

You will be aware that there is considerable uncertainty about further spread of the new coronavirus and whether any restrictions on public gatherings or travel will be introduced. The UK may see a significant increase in the number of cases over the next few weeks. All NHS organisations are making plans to prepare for the possibility of a large increase in activity related to severe cases as well as possible staff absences due to illness or self-isolation.

After discussion between the BHIVA officers and the conferences sub-committee, we have made the decision to hold only a "virtual" CROI feedback session. This will be a live webcast on Monday 23 March, replacing the planned London meeting. All other feedback meetings will be cancelled. The virtual session will be filmed and available for viewing later.

We are very sorry about this and recognise that the local meetings are highly valued. However, we hope you understand that our aim is to make a definite decision now, rather than making last minute cancellations if things change very quickly over the next week or two. We also believe that this action may in fact make it more convenient to see the feedback in case of any difficulties or concerns you may have in attending the meetings.

Further details will be provided about how to view the webcast next week. We are planning to have live Q+A for virtual participants, as well as discussions at the venue, to provide the opportunity for interaction with the speakers.

As things stand, we intend to go ahead as planned with the BHIVA Spring conference at the end of April. It is likely that we will know more about the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in the UK by the end of March / beginning of April. We will continue to monitor the situation and official advice.

In the event of public health measures such as travel restrictions or a ban on large public events, affected registrants will receive a full refund of their registration fee. We will continue to monitor the situation and update the website in response to any further developments. Please check the website regularly for updates about our plans.

If you have any queries, or require any further information, please contact the Secretariat.