The Events and Meetings Professionals Association of Ghana (EMPAG) has noted with grave concern a video on YouTube of an event held at the Fantasy Dome in Accra on Friday, April 30 2021, following which the Fantasy Dome has been closed down temporarily by the city and national authorities.

EMPAG would like to state categorically that it does not condone the flagrant disregard and flouting of COVID-19 protocols as stipulated by the government. While we commend the Ghana Police for the swift action it has taken to investigate the matter, we entreat all our members and all event organizers and venue owners to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines as agreed with the Ghana Tourism Authority.

The world is not out of the woods yet and we must not let our guard down as a country as we battle to overcome this pandemic. Recent happenings in some parts of the world make it apparent that uncontrolled public events in a time like this can have dire consequences for human life. It is our hope that the quality of our decisions as event organizers will reflect these lessons and more going forward.

EMPAG would like to use this opportunity to reiterate its readiness to engage with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on the unimpaired implementation of the COVID-19 event protocols and guidelines. We have so far conducted ourselves in a credible manner in the fight against this deadly virus.

Let it not be said that we rested on our oars and things got out of hand. Let us all continue to play our parts as we wrestle against this black swan. We also implore the public to respect and abide by the COVID-19 protocols that are put in place during events to ensure that our events are safe spaces.