World Economic Forum May Choose Non-Swiss Venue for 2021
World Economic Forum May Choose Non-Swiss Venue for 2021
(Bloomberg) -- The World Economic Forum is looking at sites in countries less affected by Covid-19 than Switzerland to replace Lucerne for the meeting scheduled to take place next May, according to the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper.
The Swiss newspaper, which didn’t say the source of the information, also published an interview with WEF founder, Klaus Schwab, who said the plan is to hold the forum in Switzerland if the coronavirus caseload permits.
“Unfortunately the current situation in Switzerland is difficult, in this respect,” the paper quoted him as saying.
Like much of Europe, Switzerland experienced a surge in infections in October as the weather turned cold. Geneva, where the WEF is based, had a particularly high case rate, which has since declined due to the closing of non-essential shops and restaurants.
Schwab said the current plan was for about 500 to 1,200 participants at the meeting in Lucerne. That’s far less than the traditional meeting in Davos usually attracts.
A spokesman for the WEF declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg.
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