Dear colleague, dear friend,

The coronavirus has arrived in Austria.

Two weeks after the first cases of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 were diagnosed in Austria, the situation in Europe has worsened dramatically. Italy has been on lockdown since March 9, 2020 and Spain will be on lockdown from next Monday, spurring other governments, businesses, organizations and individuals into action – as well as us.

Due to a decree, announced by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, indoor events with more than 100 participants were prohibited initially, to be extended to all events and gatherings in general starting next week.

Further measures in effect or becoming effective shortly include (but are not limited to):

• Starting on Tuesday, March 17, bars, restaurants, cafes and the majority of stores will be closed completely

• All flights from affected countries have been halted (Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland)

• Areas including Paznauntal, St. Anton am Arlberg, Ischgl am See and the region of Heiligenblut am Großglockner in Carinthia are now under quarantine

• As of Monday, March 16, all high schools in Austria will be closed. As of Wednesday, March 18, all elementary schools and kindergartens will move to a system where children have the option to stay home if they wish or can. All universities are closed and will reopen earliest after Easter

• Probably more yet to come…

It is to be expected that eventual travel bans for health care professionals could be imposed in some coutries (resulting in possible absence of the AIRP lecturers from our course, which would render the course pointless).

In light of the above and the uncertain future development in general, more specifically the unknown temporal extension of the situation (peak of infections expected late May), the RADPATH|VIENNA 2020 course has become practically unmanageable and untenable to realize.

Because of this and to give you sufficient forward planning and time to adapt to the situation (3 months in advance), we are cancelling the course as of now (March 15, 2020).

Course fees will be fully reimbursed as soon as possible.

We hope that you can understand that this was a very difficult decision for us and that we wanted to act responsibly both for you and for the future of the course.

We hope that we can return to a normal course in 2021 and to see you again next year in good health.

We thank you for your understanding and your loyalty to a course that started over 25 years ago.

Please stay safe, all the best for you and your families, yours sincerely,

The RADPATH team