Davos, 20 Dec (CNN)- The World Economic Forum (WEF) announced on Monday, 20 December, that its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, has been deferred in the light of "continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak".

WEF said in a statement, "The Annual Meeting was scheduled to take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, between 17-21 January 2022. It is now planned for early summer."

WEF added, "Participants will instead join a headline series of State of the World sessions bringing together global leaders online to focus on shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges."

As recently as last week, WEF officials were expressing confidence that they could host the conference given Switzerland was open to international travel and that regular testing would be provided.

But the emergence of rapidly spreading Omicron meant those plans were put under threat.
Switzerland tightened restrictions as of Monday to curb infections and protect the health-care system. It reintroduced a work-from-home requirement and excluded the unvaccinated from large parts of public life.