I cannot attend training because my country/government has imposed Covid-19 travel restrictions

**This guidance is subject to change. Please contact your training provider in the first instance**.

Following the World Health Organisation's declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic on 12th March 2020, our guidelines have been updated as follows.

Certificates for Basic Safety Training (BST) modules (Manual Handling, First Aid, Working at Heights, Fire Awareness and Sea Survival), Advanced Rescue Training (ART) or Enhanced First Aid (EFA), potentially may lapse due to travel restrictions impacting planned refresher training. 

In addition to travel restrictions imposed by government, we also extend our guidance to persons who seek to avoid contributing to increased transmission of COVID-19 while refreshing GWO basic safety training, can follow the guidance below in order to extend the validity of their certificate.

GWO is taking this step in the spirit of a shared responsibility for our global society and as a measure to avoid transmission when possible.  

REFRESHER PERIOD: GUIDANCE FOR ALL GWO TRAINING PROVIDERS AND PARTICIPANTS.

GWO has agreed to allow as a temporary measure until 30 June 2022 that:  

1. Course participants who owing to a Covid-related cancellation are unable to attend a
   refresher course within the 24 months validity period, may refresh expired training
   up until a maximum of 60 days after expiry
2. In such cases, the course participant shall take steps to do so at the earliest
   possible opportunity and must prior to being admitted to a refresher course as far
   as practicable document to the training provider reasonable COVID-related
   justification for cancellation of the original planned training.
3. Anyone requesting the 60-day extension should be aware that as a result of the above, any application made from March 1 2022 will receive the full 60 days; June 1, 30 days, June 20, 10 days and so on until the measure's expiry on 1 July. 

NOTES:

1. Source: Basic Safety Training Standard v13 5.7‘Validity Period’; Advanced Rescue Training Standard v1 5.8 ‘Validity Period’; Enhanced First Aid Standard v1 5.6 ‘Validity Period’
2. “Affected Countries or Regions” – Must be listed on the International SOS travel restrictions, flights, operations and screening web site, as having ‘internal restrictions’. Reference Source: https://pandemic.internationalsos.com/2019-ncov/ncov-travel-restrictions-flight-operations-and-screening