Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19) for the Māori Fisheries Conference 2020

13 March 2020

Te Ohu Kaimoana continues to closely monitor the evolving coronavirus situation in Aotearoa in the lead-up to the Māori Fisheries Conference 2020.

At this stage Te Ohu Kaimoana will continue to run this year’s Māori Fisheries Conference, fisheries wānanga and hui-ā-tau on 24th, 25th, and 26th March but will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis.  We are also keeping a close eye on other upcoming events regarding best practices and precautions during this time.

The Ministry of Health advises that with continued vigilance and practical precautions, the risk of widespread community outbreak remains low. Confirmed cases in Aotearoa remain at five, with the last case being confirmed five days ago.

The safety and wellbeing of our attendees is of paramount importance to Te Ohu Kaimoana.  We understand that people’s feelings regarding their own safety and circumstances will differ.

Policies at some places of work may also mean that you are restricted from travelling or able to attend conferences. If you feel unsafe, concerned or worried, please contact our Kūrae Kōrero (Communications Manager) Bede Dwyer on 021-073-9684.

If you are unwell near the time of the conference, we ask that you please refrain from attending and contact us to cancel your registration. It is important to us that we protect our attendees, especially our kaumatua from any risk.

Please follow our ‘Health & Safety’ page on our conference website for any new information. If there is a critical message regarding the conference, this will be communicated to you directly.

Precautions for the Māori Fisheries Conference 2020

  • Standard recommendations for prevention include washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and avoiding close contact with others who are coughing/sneezing.
  • When to wash your hands:
    • before eating or handling food
    • after using the toilet
    • after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or wiping children’s noses
    • after touching public surfaces
  • Dispose of tissues properly into bins.
  • If you have recently travelled overseas, please check the Ministry of Health’s guidelines and checklist regarding coronavirus.
  • If you are showing symptoms such as a runny nose, fever, cough/cold, headaches, sneezing, shortness of breath etc, (even those of a common cold) we recommend you remain at home. Please advises us closer to the time and we will refund your registration costs.
  • Please do not attend the conference if you have been in mainland China, Iran, Italy or the Republic of Korea (excluding airport transit) in the past 14 days

Kai

  • Please avoid sharing kai (unfinished) from each other’s plates at the conference, and please use the tongs/implements provided to handle kai.