As a matter of precaution to help mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus in the United States, many large events and public gatherings have been canceled or postponed. This week, every major professional sports league postponed play, and many major school districts have cancelled classes. Numerous trade shows and conventions have also been canceled, and several events in the meat and poultry industry have been affected.

In a statement released today, The North American Meat Institute said it continues to monitor the evolving situation regarding coronavirus both domestically and internationally. “Due to this public health emergency, it is impossible to move forward with NAMI’s Meat Industry Summit as planned.  In close consultation with members, authorities in Texas, and the J.W. Marriott, we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Meat Industry Summit in San Antonio, Texas.

“While reported risk levels for COVID-19 infection may be low in the conference region, the unique challenges and responsibilities associated with staging large gatherings remain immensely complex. The Meat Institute will continue to keep you up to date about future meetings and possibly rescheduling the Summit. We did not make this decision lightly, but think it is the right thing to do to protect the health and safety of attendees and staff.”

For more information, visit www.meatinstitute.org.

Messe Düsseldorf announced it is postponing the leading international trade fair interpack. It will now take place from February 25 to March 3, 2021.

“In doing so, Messe Düsseldorf is following the recommendation of the crisis management team of the German Federal Government to take into account the principles of the Robert Koch Institute when assessing the risk of major events,” the group announced. “Based on this recommendation and the recent significant increase in the number of people infected with the new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2), including in Europe, Messe Düsseldorf has reassessed the situation. In addition, there is the general ruling issued by the city of Düsseldorf on March 11, 2020, in which major events with more than 1,000 participants present at the same time are generally prohibited.

"The decision was taken in close consultation with our advisory board and sponsoring associations," emphasizes Werner M. Dornscheidt, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. It also reflects the wishes of individual industries. "As their partner, we are currently doing everything in our power to reduce the economic losses suffered by our exhibitors."

"The city of Düsseldorf is following the instructions of the state government. Our aim is to slow down the spread of the corona virus so that the health system can continue to function properly," emphasizes Thomas Geisel, Lord Mayor of the state capital of Düsseldorf and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Düsseldorf trade fair company.

For more information visit www.interpack.com.

Source: NAMI, Interpack