SIGMA Healthcare and the Amcal & Guardian National Council have this morning announced the postponement of the 2020 Amcal/Guardian Retail Conference, which was scheduled to take place on the Gold Coast next week.
The annual event is always timed for just before the Pharmacy Guild's annual APP conference, which is still going ahead from next Thu.
Kurt O'Brien, Head of Amcal and Guardian, said the decision to drop the Sigma event had been made to limit the potential risk to attendees, given the uncertainty over the spread of coronavirus in Australia.
"Our number one concern is the health and safety of our Amcal and Guardian franchise partners, their teams and the communities they serve," he said.
"Their role in the community is vital and it is important that we minimise potential risk of exposure to and spread of COVID-19 during these challenging times."
He said Sigma understands and supports the front-line role that its pharmacists play.
"It is important they remain in their local communities offering help and support where it will have the most impact," O'Brien added.
Amcal and Guardian members who had planned to attend the Sigma conference will be given details of new initiatives directly by Sigma, along with all member pharmacies of the banner groups.
Sigma said it would continue to monitor the situation and consider alternative dates.
The company congratulated pharmacies across Australia for their efforts in the last six months, firstly to support the health of their customers during the bushfires and now looking after communities during a time of extreme uncertainty due to coronavirus.
"If there is one certainty in these difficult times it is that your local pharmacy will always be on hand to support the community," the company said.
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