Amazon, Intel and Other IT Companies Decide to Skip US Largest Medical IT Conference

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] IT technology companies such as Amazon and Intel have announced their plans to consecutively withdraw from the conference hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the world's largest community in the medical IT field, scheduled to be held next week, due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to economic broadcaster CNBC on the 3rd (local time), the HIMSS conference, which is attended by tens of thousands of people every year, is scheduled to be held from the 9th in Orlando, Florida. Amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, with large-scale conferences and events being canceled one after another, HIMSS plans to proceed with the conference as originally scheduled.

A HIMSS spokesperson stated, "At present, we plan to hold the meeting as scheduled," and added, "We are consulting with an external advisory committee to make the best evidence-based decisions." U.S. President Donald Trump is also expected to attend this event.

IT technology companies are citing the health and safety of their employees as reasons for their withdrawal. Following Cisco, which issued a statement last weekend, Intel, Salesforce, Tableau, and others have also announced their plans to withdraw. An Intel spokesperson explained, "We are closely monitoring the situation," and "We are implementing travel restrictions and event attendance limitations for regions affected by the COVID-19 outbreak."

Amazon AWS also announced its withdrawal through a statement, saying, "The health and safety of our employees, customers, and partner collaborators is our top priority, and this decision was made after careful consideration."

CNBC reported that Google Cloud and Microsoft (MS) have so far decided to maintain their exhibition booths at HIMSS, but many employees located outside the United States are expected to have difficulty attending due to overseas travel restrictions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.