Business travel and events remain a key pillar of tourism, and South African Tourism said it was “encouraged” by how well the sector was implementing its world-class health and safety protocols, said SA Tourism Acting CEO, Sthembiso Dlamini.

SA Tourism is also taking a page from the Department of Tourism’s book and encouraging government to host some of their events live, provided the proper protocols are followed and the new level-three regulations are adhered to.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday (June 15) that indoor events would be limited to 50 people and outdoor events to 100.

As part of the SA Events Council, the Event Safety Council (EAC) leadership had been party to all discussions with the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa in lobbying for the reopening of business events, said EAC Interim Chair, Mike Lord.

Both groups were working hard at putting business events forward as COVID-safe environments and had demonstrated this with numerous proof-of-concept events, added Vice-Chair of the Event Safety Council, Sam September.

"The event space has always been regulated, but the advent of COVID-19 has brought the issue of health and safety into stark focus.

“I believe that continued interaction with the government structures will lead to a better understanding of our industry, and a recognition of our sector's contribution to the GDP of our country. We will come out of this pandemic a much stronger, united sector," he said.

Events Safety Council ‘busier than ever’

Lord said although the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic had brought the events industry to a virtual standstill, the past 15 months had been busier than ever for the Events Safety Council.

The advent of the pandemic saw council members, unable to earn a living under lockdown restrictions, volunteering their time to drive the recovery of the event sector in South Africa instead. "It has been a rollercoaster ride, keeping your wits about you, staying motivated and positive, and pressurising the government to recognise that our professional recovery plan will successfully keep people COVID-safe at the events we host," he said.

Lord noted that previously, the Event Safety Council had focused primarily on general safety risks such as erecting structures, crowd management, and fire plans. However, the arrival of COVID-19 emphasised health risk management firmly ahead of general safety.

“Now health risk and safety risk must be dealt with simultaneously when planning an event. The viral spread has become another risk in the event safety chain. Like any other risk within an event, one must identify the hazard, determine who will be harmed and provide prevention and control measures to eliminate, remove the risk or mitigate against its occurrence.

"COVID-19 is a complex problem, and there is no single, simple solution. The environment keeps changing, and the laws are constantly being adjusted. As a result, it is difficult to keep up. We are tackling the problem with science, facts and experience while keeping an eye on global trends," explained Lord.

"The lack of stability over the past 15 months has made planning impossible and threatens the very survival of this sector. The laws governing events in South Africa are already in place, and with enforcement and compliance, we believe we can hold organised events in a COVID-safe manner,” he emphasised.