Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and particularly following the cancellation of the APS March meeting, the CAP President, 2020 Program Chair, and Executive Director have been in regular communication with the co-chairs of the 2020 CAP Congress Local Organizing Committee to assess the ever-changing status of COVID-19 and its potential impact on the 2020 Congress.
Up until recently we have been optimistic that we might be able to proceed with the congress. However, on Friday, March 13, this group met to discuss the current developments including the increasing number of confirmed cases in Ontario, the recent decisions to shut down several Ontario universities and move to online classes for the remain of the academic term, the increasing restrictions on international travel, and the continuing uncertainty as to when the spread of the virus is anticipated to peak in Canada.
On Saturday, March 14, at the recommendation of this core group, and in consideration of all information available at this time, the CAP Board unanimously made the very difficult decision to cancel the upcoming CAP 2020 Annual Congress scheduled to be held at McMaster University. We offer our sincerest thanks to each member of the 2020 Local Organizing Committee for the work they have done to date and, in particular, to our two co-Chairs, Maikel Rheinstadter and David Venus, for their very able planning and for their efforts to monitor the status of COVID-19 and provide valuable input to the CAP Board.
As was the case when the decision was made this past week to cancel the remainder of the CAP Lecture Tour, this action is being taken in direct response to the current COVID-19 uncertainties and our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our staff, the speakers and the students and delegates who would be attending the Congress.
At this time, the CAP office staff are working remotely from home in accordance with the current provincial recommended best practices, therefore, should you have any questions, please contact Chantal Etheve-Meek in the CAP office by e-mail at programs@cap.ca.
Shohini Ghose, CAP President
Manu Paranjape, 2020 CAP Congress Program Chair
Francine Ford, CAP Executive Director