11 Mar 2020
Coronavirus claims another major event in the UK veterinary calendar as cases of COVID-19 escalate globally.
David Woodmansey
Job Title
The Petplan Veterinary Awards, due to have taken place on 2 April in conjunction with BSAVA Congress in Birmingham, have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The company has released a statement.
It said: “At Petplan, we take the welfare of all of our employees, partners and customers very seriously, and in response to the wider COVID-19 situation have decided not to go ahead with the Petplan Veterinary Awards ceremony on 2 April in Birmingham.
“This aligns with feedback from some of our valued veterinary partners on the increased steps being taken to help minimise risk to the profession.
“We would like to congratulate all of the finalists for this year’s awards, and are looking forward to celebrating their achievements and announcing the winners by the end of April.”
Petplan’s decision follows the cancellation of the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards that were to be held in Birmingham on 1 April ahead of BSAVA Congress, which is due to take place from 2 to 5 April.
The BSAVA has been contacted, but it is understood that, as yet, no final decision has been taken on whether the biggest small animal congress in Europe will go ahead.
As a result of the changing situation with regards to coronavirus, the VMG and SPVS events “Progressing into Management” on 18 March at Newbury and the “Vet Wellbeing in Practice” on 25 March in Bristol have also been postponed.
A post on the SPVS-VMG CPD Events Facebook page said the decision has been made “to protect delegate welfare”.
