Amid coronavirus (COVID-19) fears and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warnings of a looming national outbreak, HIMSS 2020, which was slated to take place from March 9-13 in Orlando, Fla., has been canceled. President Trump was also scheduled to speak at the conference, which is largely regarded as healthcare IT’s top show.
In a letter to those who planned to attend, HIMSS 2020 organizers spelled out the rationale behind their decision. “This will be the first time in 58 years the event has been canceled, but it is now clear that cancellation is unavoidable in order to meet HIMSS’ obligation to protect the health and safety of the global HIMSS community, employees and local residents, as well as for the healthcare providers tasked with keeping our U.S. and global communities healthy,” they wrote.
“This action was further informed by concerns received from HIMSS20 attendees, cancellations of similarly sized conferences in the U.S. and globally, as well as a growing volume of confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the country,” HIMSS organizers added. “In light of these factors, HIMSS has determined it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando next week.”
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