U.S. companies are canceling conferences and restricting business travel amid concerns over the coronavirus.
The American Physical Society (APS) canceled a conference scheduled to begin on Monday in Denver, Colorado, over “concerns relating to the spread of the coronavirus disease,” according to a post on its website. The society represents 55,000 members including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. It’s April 18-21 meeting in Washington, DC, has not yet been canceled. Approximately 10,000 people were scheduled to attend the conference.
The organization urged members not to travel to Denver for the meeting. Many members expressed frustration but also understanding on Twitter about the cancellation of the March meeting. Many said they understood the reason for the cancellation but expressed frustration over having already traveled to Denver and possible extra costs associated with the altered travel plans.
However, many airlines have agreed to waive cancellation penalties and fees for changing reservations due to the coronavirus.
Other companies have also canceled meetings and directed employees to eliminate non-essential business travel.
Late last week, internet-giant Amazon directed its 798,000 employees to avoid non-essential travel, Breitbart Texas reported. David Clark, a senior vice president over Amazon’s worldwide operations sent an email stating that no group or team meetings requiring travel should be planned until May.
Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Cheeseman later confirmed the directive, stating, “We are watching this situation closely with a focus on the safety of our teams and ensuring we can meet customer promises. We are closely following local and international health authority guidance as this situation progresses.”
Business Insider reported that Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft issued similar guidance. Facebook recently canceled its annual developer conference and smartphone conference.
MSN reported that Workday, an internet-based human resources software company, canceled its planned “Workday Sales Kickoff” meeting scheduled to begin on Monday in Orlando, Florida. The Workday conference anticipated about 3,000 attendees.
“The wellbeing of our employees and communities is our top priority, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to make our global sales kickoff a virtual experience to ensure we rally our team in the safest way possible,” Workday spokesperson Jeff Shadid told CNBC.
CDC officials advised reporters on a conference call that local communities and cities may need to “modify, postpone, or cancel mass gatherings,” CNBC stated.
Marriott officials told MSN that group bookings in the U.S. are beginning to take a hit due to coronavirus concerns. Other hotel and travel-related companies are also reporting reductions in demand.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.