Eyewear Trade Show Mido Postpones Dates Due to Coronavirus

The fair will move to July 5 to 7 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

MILAN — International eyewear trade show Mido has postponed its upcoming edition slated to run Feb. 29 to March 2 at Milan’s Rho-Fiera fairgrounds due to uncertainty over the coronavirus epidemic in Italy.

The fair’s organizer said the trade show would be held July 5 to 7.

“It’s a decision we took in the wake of the seriousness of the current situation and as a response to our exhibitors and visitors,” commented Giovanni Vitaloni, president of Mido.

“The evolution of the health crisis in our country left us no doubts in deciding to postpone the 2020 edition of the show,” he added.

As of Saturday night, according to media reports, 60 Italians were diagnosed with the virus in the past two days, including 47 people in the Lombardy region, of which one resides on the outskirts of Milan.

“It’s a double effort being a week away from the show, but we cannot think about celebrating our 50th anniversary in such a serious historical context for the world and especially, in this moment, for our country,” Vitaloni added. “Our sense of responsibility not only as entrepreneurs but also as human beings, for our families, children and colleagues forced us to take this decision.”

As reported, on Friday the first Italian patient to be detected with the virus was hospitalized in intensive care. The 38-year-old man is an employee at the Unilever facility located in Casalpusterlengo, a small town a one-hour drive from Milan. The company’s complex shut down its activity for the day.