It has been confirmed that the world’s largest annual furniture and design fair, which has been running for 58 years, will be postponed until June 16-21, a delay of approximately 2 months.

Following an outbreak of more than 200 cases of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the Lombardy region in Italy, of which Milan is the capital, the decision by festival organisers to postpone has been made with the full support of the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. Italy has the largest number of reported cases in Europe and seven deaths have been reported so far.

In a video statement released overnight on twitter, Mayor Sala, who stood between Emanuele Orsini, President of Federlegno Arredo Eventi, and Claudio Luti, President of the Salone del Mobile, said: “I am calling on our colleagues in the furnishing sector and the Salone del Mobile to pull together to make sure Milan doesn’t grind to a halt. We need to work objectively to stop this virus spreading, but we must also take care not to spread the virus of distrust.”

He went on to implore hoteliers not to spike accommodation prices during the new June dates and called on the Italian government to provide support.

In addition to the tragic loss of life Coronavirus has caused, 2,700 at the time of writing, the virus is set to severely impact the global economy in its aftermath.

Stay tuned as more unfolds…