- In-person attendance of an international Aids conference has been suspended due to Covid-19.
- Event organisers said "a number of delegates" tested positive for Covid-19 during registration.
- The event was to take place in Durban, which has just entered the fourth wave.
The International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (Icasa) in Durban has cancelled in-person attendance after a "number of delegates… tested positive during registration".
According to the national health department, only speakers, rapporteurs, media and technical support staff will be allowed to attend physically when the conference begins in Durban on Monday.
"The week-long conference was always planned to be hybrid, with 750 physical delegates at Durban ICC with the rest joining virtually. Logistical arrangements for all delegates who had planned to attend physically are currently under way," a statement read.
The decision came after KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala announced on Sunday that the province had officially entered its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections. KwaZulu-Natal recorded significant increases in daily infection rates and the number of people requiring hospitalisation and intensive care unit beds, said Zikalala.
Over two weeks, the province's test positivity rate had jumped from 0.7% to 12.7%, said Zikalala.
Organisations said the cancellation of in-person events should "ensure that the conference does not become a super-spreader event and further contribute to the fourth wave".
The statement read:
Deputy President David Mabuza will physically attend the conference and deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony, along with Health Minister Joe Phaahla and the leadership of the Society for Aids in Africa.
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