St Albans Chamber of Commerce has cancelled all of its events between now and the end of August and closed its office to visitors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Chamber President Alastair Woodgate made the announcement to members in a statement this morning, following an emergency board meeting yesterday.

Events planned included the annual St George’s Day Lunch at Sopwell House, breakfast meetings, and the St Albans Business Festival.

Some of these will be rescheduled for a later date after the end of the pandemic, and members will be encouraged to carry over their bookings to the revised time.

He said: “The wellbeing of our members and employees is at the forefront of everything we do. The UK situation is changing daily: we will continue to adhere strictly to Government, NHS and Public Health England advice, whilst remaining fully committed to providing an ongoing service to you, our members.

“You can continue to contact us by phone and email: we remain operational, albeit the Chamber office is now closed to visitors and staff are able to work remotely as the need arises.

“All of our planned events between now and the end of August are, regrettably, being cancelled or deferred.

“We will be in touch with all sponsors and attendees early next week with additional information. However, we plan to provide information and activities online over the coming weeks so we can all keep in touch with each other.

“We will continue to help you where we can, with practical advice and support, as we all rise to the challenges that coronavirus presents.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and we will keep you updated if there are any further changes.”

The Chamber also publicised a website offering government guidance for employers and businesses:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19 And ACAS advice for employers and employees:

https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus

Alastair added: “On behalf of the Chamber directors and staff I wish you all good health.”