News
GLOBAL
SNAPSHOT
AMERICAS
Facebook logs out
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in an
open letter to his employees, has ruled out the
company holding physical events for more than 50
people until June 2021.
Although Zuckerberg framed his letter as an
address on how the company was approaching the
re-opening of society, the Facebook CEO said he was
“slowing plans to return to the office in order to
prioritise helping the rest of our community and local
economy to get back up and running first”.
Read the letter in full on www.c-mw.net
AMERICAS
Doctors and nurses check-in
Hilton and American Express have donated a million
hotel rooms for medical professionals working on the
Covid-19 pandemic response in the USA, and
Marriott have donated US$10m worth of hotel stays
for doctors and nurses. New York City authorities
have followed up and signed a US$250m contract
with Texas-based CrewFacilities.com to house
medical staff and patients discharged from hospitals
but with nowhere suitable to go afterwards.
New York hospitals will be able to refer patients
directly to a hotel under the deal, with occupancy in
the city falling to 18% according to research
specialists STR.
EUROPE EUROPE
60% of UK suppliers face collapse Switzerland plans return
Sixty percent of the UK’s events industry’s supplier The Swiss government has announced a three-stage
base is facing collapse within three months, unless easing of restrictions imposed to suppress the Covid-19
event businesses receive further support from the pandemic, with some stores and services allowed to
government, according to an online survey carried reopen from 27 April.
out by trade associations.
Covid-19 has killed more than 1,000 people in the
Of the 1,490 businesses surveyed from all
Alpine country. The second stage of loosening
sub-sectors of the UK events industry between 3-7 restrictions will begin on 11 May and then a third easing
April, 6% say they were unlikely to survive until the from 8 June.
end of April as a result of the impact of Covid-19.
“We have been able to slow down the infections,
The results were published a week after a UK
the hospitals are not overcrowded, and we can now
government minister said that events could “kick foresee some relaxation,” said President Simonetta
start” the economy post-Covid-19. Sommaruga.
6 /
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
/
ISSUE 106