Going online to flatten curve
Organisers stay safe and move events to virtual platforms
PETALING JAYA: Some organisations are switching from physical to virtual conferences while others are postponing their events in an effort to flatten the Covid-19 curve.
The National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) and Etiqa have moved their Pink October Project breast cancer awareness programme to an online platform.
“The rising number of Covid-19 cases in the past weeks is a major concern, as most of our audience are cancer survivors who are in the high-risk group.
“To ensure the safety of everyone, we decided that it was best to conduct the event online,” said NCSM public relations and communications manager Niranjni Jayabalan.
The event was supposed to be held today at NCSM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and officiated by its patron Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz. About 25 guests were scheduled to attend the event, which was supposed to offer free mammograms to underprivileged women.
Niranjni said the event will still go on but will be conducted online by staff members.
“We will stream the event on our Facebook page. We want to raise awareness on breast cancer in an impactful manner but we can always do it in different ways,” she added.
MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd chairman Mohd Naguib Razak said the company turned its Oct 6 event – Creative Economic Forum 2021 – to an online webinar.
“The one-day forum was initially planned for about 250 participants but we decided to conduct it online, as safety is the priority.
“It was a last minute decision made just the day before the event, but fortunately we had the technical expertise to turn it virtual,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Mohd Naguib said the virtual event was a success, attracting 335 participants, including Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, who joined the interactive discussions.
He said the second part of the forum, scheduled for Oct 20, will also be held virtually.
Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC) medical director and senior consultant neurosurgeon Prof Dr Vicknes Waran confirmed that the Mental Health Symposium this Saturday has been called off pending further notice.
“As a responsible healthcare provider, UMSC has deferred the upcoming mental health symposium at the Armada Hotel to restrict the rising Covid-19 curve.
“We shall be vigilant until the situation is completely safe for outdoor activities,” he said.
Dr Vicknes assured that UMSC is prepared to mitigate the pandemic while safeguarding its healthcare workers, doctors and patients.
The one-day symposium was expected to host 80 to 100 participants.
Meanwhile, the Japan Foundation said it has decided to postpone its annual Japanese Film Festival (JFF) 2020 to a later date next month.
In a statement, it said it’s decision was made “in light of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases, and out of concern for the health and safety of everyone”.
JFF is expected to showcase 10 titles ranging from a variety of genres to highlight the colours of Japan through cinema.