3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. (SSI), McLean, Va., said its board of directors made the difficult decision to cancel its 2020 annual meeting and education program, originally scheduled for May 11-14 in Minneapolis. The decision was made based upon careful consideration and comprehensive evaluation of currently available information related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

3-A SSI said it has been closely monitoring the rapidly increasing domestic and worldwide developments during the last several weeks related to COVID-19. The decision was made after a thorough review and discussion of all factors impacting the meeting, including the U.S. government’s enforcement of restrictions on international travelers entering the U.S. and the imposition of travel restrictions by state and federal government agencies, companies, academic institutions and other organizations, including the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group. 3-A SSI issued the following statement regarding the event’s rescheduling:

“The health, safety, and security of all attendees and the companies and communities they serve are 3-A SSI’s highest priorities. While we believe that the decision to cancel the meeting is absolutely the correct one to safeguard our meeting participants from further potential exposure to the coronavirus, we also understand that this is a disappointing one for our attendees and presenters. There has been great anticipation about the 2020 events, as the presentation of new data, exchange of information and opportunities for collaboration offered by the 3-A SSI events are highly valued by the entire hygienic equipment design community.