Yvonne Gallagher Jun 22, 2021:

@ Asker Could you please explain why you thought "instead" could work?
Firstly lots of ways of rephrasing this to avoid repetition and make it more concise
e.g. in the course of consideration= during our deliberations
OR the whole thing:

"After much discussion and careful consideration, we have decided to cancel the 2021 workshop in the interests of safeguarding the health of high school students during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. We think it best to prioritize (OR give top priority to) precautionary measures against the virus/infection. This decision was reached with great regret. Thank you for your understanding.

Mitsuko Yoshida (asker) Jun 21, 2021:

Thank you, Tina I think your suggestion is very good. Thank you very much!

Tina Vonhof (X) Jun 21, 2021:

"Instead" does not really fit because what follows is not in contrast to what went before. You could say: "In our discussions, we have given top priority...." or you could leave it out altogether and start with: "We have given top priority...." No solution is completely satisfactory because that paragraph is poorly worded and ideally should be condensed as follows: "After careful consideration and discussion, we have decided to cancel the 2021 workshop. We regret this decision but we have given top priority to taking precautionary measures against the COVID-19 infection for the health of our high school students. Thank you for your understanding." Maybe you could make this suggestion to your client.