The World Bank and International Monetary Fund will not be convening their Spring Meetings conference in Washington this year due to the global coronavirus outbreak, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. The organizations will hold virtual conferences instead.
“The format of the spring meeting is currently under discussion with our member states,” a spokesperson for the IMF said, adding that the organization expected to make an announcement Tuesday.
The decision comes as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise in the U.S. As of Monday evening, six people had died from the virus. On Tuesday, there were reports of additional cases in New York but those numbers were not yet included in the official count on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
The meetings, which take place once a year, were set to take place April 13-19. At each annual conference the boards of governors of the IMF and World Bank Group publish communications and resolutions on how current international money issues should be addressed. The event brings in officials from across the globe, including 2,800 delegates from member states.
