Clerkenwell Design Week in London has been postponed from May until July, becoming the latest architecture and design event to be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
The annual design week in London's central Clerkenwell district will now take place from 14-16 July, almost two months later than its original planned dates of 19-21 May.
Organisers of Clerkenwell Design Week made the decision to protect visitors and exhibitors' health as the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in the UK continues to rise.
"We will continue to consult with all relevant parties on a regular basis as we work towards delivering the best possible CDW this summer," CEO of Media 10 Lee Newton said.
"The safety and wellbeing of all those involved is our priority and we are grateful for the support we have received from our exhibitors and partners in making this difficult decision," Newton added.
"We believe that these new dates provide us with an opportunity to deliver what will be a very successful CDW in the height of British Summer."
The organisers said they have reached an agreement with Islington Council, as well as the suppliers, vendors and stakeholders, to ensure the independent design festival takes place in July.
"We believe by mid-July that the situation will have improved"
CDW's new dates were chosen because they worked with the festival's many components.
"Due to the nature of CDW, its use of multiple unconventional venues and council run outdoor spaces for exhibitions and installation, it was paramount to select dates that would enable us to organise a successful event without compromising the festival feel that has come to be expected with CDW and these dates offered that," marketing manager for CDW Jedd Barry told Dezeen.
The organisers hope that by the rearranged dates the coronavirus outbreak will be under control.
"We believe by mid-July that the situation will have improved, but we will of course be monitoring the situation very closely and acting responsibly as event organisers with the health, safety and wellbeing of all involved as a primary focus," Barry said.
Numerous events postponed
The event follows numerous others around the world to be either postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak, which has now spread to over 100 countries and is officially classified as a pandemic. Dezeen Events Guide has created a dedicated page listing all major design and architecture events affected by the virus.
Events across Europe have been either cancelled or postponed. DesignMarch in Iceland and 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen are two of the latest events to push back their dates.
Milan's Salone del Mobile and the Venice Architecture Biennale are the two most high-profile events that have been postponed.
Early today it was announced that the AIA conference in Los Angeles, which was due to take place 14-16 May, was also postponed.
In the USA The Architectural Digest Design Show in New York, South by Southwest in Austin and La Cienega in Los Angeles have all recently announced postponements or cancelations due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Keep up with developments by following our coverage of design news relating to the coronavirus outbreak. For news of impacted events, check Dezeen Events Guide's dedicated coronavirus page.