Zurich The annual conference of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos planned for January 2022 has been postponed. The foundation had come to this decision because of the spread of the Omikron variant of the corona virus, it announced on Monday at its headquarters in Cologny near Geneva. With the necessary corona measures and travel restrictions due to the pandemic, it would be extremely difficult to hold an international meeting.
The next date is planned for early summer 2022. The meeting should have taken place from January 17th to 21st in the Swiss alpine town of Davos in the canton of Graubünden.
Instead, the foundation brings executives together virtually, said WEF founder Klaus Schwab. “Cooperation between the public and private sectors has evolved and will continue to do so during the pandemic. We look forward to bringing the world’s leading figures together in person soon. “
With a few exceptions, the foundation has held its annual meeting in the Swiss winter sports resort of Davos for decades. Usually, thousands of entrepreneurs and politicians exchange ideas on pressing issues in business and society. Traditionally, heads of government and company leaders from all over the world also take part.
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This year, too, the meeting had only been postponed and was finally canceled entirely. It was supposed to take place in Singapore first in May, then in August, but those plans, too, were thwarted by the pandemic.
The decision had already been expected in financial circles. The Swiss list of countries with worrying virus variants is currently empty. But Switzerland itself is classified as a high-risk area by Germany, among others.
Nationwide, the seven-day incidence according to data from Swiss radio and television is 687 – and is thus well above the German average. At 630, the canton of Graubünden still has a seven-day incidence, which is below average compared to Switzerland.
In view of the high number of cases and the increasing burden on the health system, the country tightened corona measures last Friday. Among other things, there are stricter contact restrictions for private meetings, the upper limit is now 30 people indoors. Organizers of public events must at least implement the 2G rule.
Sticking to the meeting of the business elite in the middle of the pandemic would have sent the wrong signal in view of growing restrictions in public life.
With agency material.
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