The Leipzig Book Fair, which was supposed to open its doors to the German reading public today, was CANCELLED about ten days ago. Here is the official statement from the event management Oliver Zille and Kerstin Heydecke:
“Dear exhibitors, partners and visitors,
It is with great sadness and great regret that we have to announce today that this year’s Leipzig Book Fair, which was scheduled for March 12th to 15th, will not take place. This also applies to the reading festival “Leipzig liest”, Manga Comic-Con and the Leipziger Antiquariatsmesse.
This decision was made by the Leipziger Messe together with the city of Leipzig after extensive consultations and with great regret.
The Leipzig Public Health Office has decided to follow the directive of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics, which states that contact tracing at major events must be guaranteed. The directive explicitly stipulates that every fair participant must provide written proof that they are not from any of the identified risk areas and have not had contact with people from such areas. Considering the approximately 2,500 exhibitors and 280,000 expected visitors, this was no easy task. The health of our exhibitors, visitors, guests, partners and employees is our top priority. That is why the city of Leipzig and the Leipzig Book Fair have decided to cancel the event completely.
We therefore ask for your understanding. We have never had to make such a difficult decision in the seventy-year history of the Leipzig Book Fair. This is difficult for us and for the entire book industry. We would like to thank all exhibitors, partners and visitors who have remained loyal to us.
Nevertheless, we are already looking forward to the Leipzig Book Fair from March 18 to 21, 2021. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with you in the future.”
The London Book Fair, which was due to take place this week (10-12 March), has also been CANCELLED with an official press release from early March:
Reed Exhibitions has today announced that the London Book Fair 2020, scheduled to take place at Olympia, London, from 10-12 March, will be cancelled following the escalation of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Europe.
The effects, both actual and predicted, of Coronavirus are becoming evident in all aspects of our lives here in the UK and around the world, with many of our attendees facing travel restrictions. We are following the UK Government guidelines and working with the ongoing advice from public health authorities and other organisations and have therefore reluctantly made the decision not to go ahead next year.
We recognise that business must go on. With this in mind, we will of course support and collaborate with exhibitors and visitors to keep our world going during this difficult time. "Thank you to all those in the UK and many other countries who have prepared over the past year to do their utmost for what promises to be a wonderful book fair, showcasing, as always, the best of the global book industry. The London Book Fair will return, better than ever, in 2021."
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