The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for "large events and mass gatherings" in light of the coronavirus outbreak and recommends that for the next eight weeks, organizers cancel or postpone in-person events in the United States that consist of 50 people or more. The Meetings Mean Business Coalition issued a statement saying it intends to follow the guideline.
"With so many institutions closing, regardless of the size of the potential gathering, we really need to take this seriously," said DigiTravel Consulting VP of consulting Shimon Avish. "I've seen events as small as 10 attendees not going forward because the concern about the spread of the virus is so significant. I'm all in favor of social distancing, and once testing becomes widespread and available, [people] will better understand their exposure and the exposure of the people around them."
Marriott International, In its update to its individual cancellation policy extension, noted that guests with reservations booked into a pre-existing group block should refer to the cancellation terms at the time of reservation and contact the group organizer or the hotel for more information. It also instructed group organizers with questions on terms and agreements of group contracts to contact their hotels directly.
Group booking instructions from other hotel companies were not available at the time of publication.