Dear Colleagues,

The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) Director, Executive, and Symposium Organising Committee have been monitoring and following daily updates and advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). On Sunday, 15 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in light of the worsening outbreak in the country. The President immediately followed up with a list of measures including that all nonessential gatherings of 100 or more people be cancelled or postponed.

It is our hope that we will be able to go ahead with SAAO 200 as planned in October, but with the current uncertainty and the pace of developments with regards to COVID-19, we are considering a variety of options and timeframes are currently all under review. We have many decisions yet to make, including whether to consider holding a virtual symposium. Please check the SAAO 200 website and watch for follow-up emails from the SAAO 200 Symposium Secretariat.

For those who have already registered, please be patient and wait until we determine how we are going to proceed with SAAO 200. If you have any concerns, please contact the registration team on saao200@africanagenda.com. Please do not book any travel to South Africa, and if you do, ensure that it is fully refundable.

We appreciate your understanding in this regard and assure you that we will keep you updated.

Professor Petri Vaisanen

SAAO Director