The group had been set to meet March 9-13 in the Orange County Convention Center, a major destination for large conferences in Central Florida.
"This will be the first time in 58 years the event has been cancelled, 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," the group explained in a statement.
The HIMSS conference next week is officially cancelled over the coronavirus. Trump was slated to speak as the administration preps two major health IT rules. pic.twitter.com/rQAFr2INRZ
— Lauren Clason (@LaClason) March 5, 2020
#HIMMS2020, a major health conference in Orlando to which the @POTUS was invited, has been canceled.
— Jim Stinson (@jimstinson) March 5, 2020
A second group, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, also announced that it would postpone an annual gathering scheduled for March 19-22 in Orlando.
"The health and safety of our attendees and the patients they take care of is our number one concern,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, the head of NCCN explained in a written statement.
"This was an incredibly difficult and disappointing decision to have to make," Carlson added, saying it was the group's responsibility to protect those who might be more susceptible to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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