WASHINGTON, March 9, 2020 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) has decided, after careful analysis of a variety of inputs, that for the safety and protection of its members, staff and the citizens of Philadelphia, it will terminate its Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo scheduled for March 22-26, 2020, in Philadelphia.

“Safety is a core value of the American Chemical Society, and it permeates all of our actions, activities and events,” says ACS CEO Thomas Connelly Jr., Ph.D. “With the Pennsylvania governor’s Proclamation of Disaster Emergency last Friday, we do not feel we can guarantee the safety of the 15,000 attendees expected for the Philadelphia meeting or of the city residents themselves.”

Additional data points used in making this difficult decision include the rapidly expanding trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pennsylvania, other U.S. states and globally, as well as input from Philadelphia city officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and ACS members and meeting attendees.