We received the following message from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group this week to advise that the iMig meeting due to be held in Brisbane in March has been postponed until 2021. These meetings bring together people from all over the world with an interest in mesothelioma. It's disappointing but understandable given the state of the world at the moment.
Dear Colleagues,
We regret to inform you that the iMig 2020 meeting will be postponed until March 2021 due to the growing concerns about international travel and the assembly of many people at one venue due to COVID-19. While we have been closely monitoring the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Australian government over the past weeks, local developments around the world over the past several days have made it clear to us, the iMig Board and the professionals at the Conference Secretariat (ICS), that the integrity, practical and professional value, and spirit of the iMig meeting would be severely hindered if we moved forward with the meeting.
This postponement was a very difficult decision to make as we were all looking forward to convening in Brisbane later this month. Unfortunately, many physicians, nurses, and other health care providers who were planning to attend iMig 2020 are being told that preparation for COVID-19 cases in their locality must come before all other prior commitments. Also, we have been seeing an increase in the number of invited speakers and presenters who have withdrawn from the meeting either due to personal concerns or due to recent restrictions on international travel imposed by their institutions - and these numbers will certainly increase over the next three weeks.
We sincerely apologize for the logistical inconvenience and financial burden this will cause you, but we must mitigate the risks to our meeting and to all of us individually during this unprecedented situation. Further communication from the Conference Secretariat (ICS) within the next week will provide details on the logistics of postponement and registration fees.
We are happy that we have been able to reschedule our meeting to the same time next year, and we hope you will be able to join us in Brisbane in 2021.
