Queensland Astrofest 2020 Cancelled!

The Qld Astrofest Committee met this week to make a final call on whether Qld Astrofest would be held in 2020.  Despite long held hopes that the COVID-19 situation would have improved sufficiently to allow the event to be held in August, it was felt that in the best interests of all they cancel this year’s event.

Considerations included:

• The social distancing requirements of 1 person per 4m²;  numbers would be severely constrained in the dormitories and kitchen areas, leading to total numbers allowed on site to be halved.
• The amount of additional daily cleaning, required to comply with regulations, would be a significant burden on the small Committee.
• Professional cleaning would be financially prohibitive, yet necessary, as the committee numbers and subsequent available volunteers would be limited.
• The limit of registrants on site and required cleaning frequency would likely make the event unviable financially.
• The potential legal liability of the Committee and Clubs was considered as a significant issue. This is a unique situation would not be covered by the existing policy.

With all this in mind, it is with regret that the Committee has advised Duckadang that the 2020 event is cancelled, and they will focus their efforts on planning for the 2021 event.

We hope that regular attendees will understand and look forward to seeing you again next year.